


I'm not a game [ Kozume Kenma x Reader ]

by Cutesight



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Childhood Friends, Clingy Kozume Kenma, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fanfiction, Fluff and Smut, Love Triangles, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-13 21:22:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 36
Words: 58,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29657499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cutesight/pseuds/Cutesight
Summary: "Ｋｅｎｍａ， ｍｅｅｔ ｍｙ ｃｈｉｌｄｈｏｏｄ ｂｅｓｔ ｆｒｉｅｎｄ."- - - -A new family moves into Kenma Kozume's neighborhood during the middle of summer.Little does Kenma know, the family that moved in is Tetsurō Kuroo's childhood best friend.Y/N and Tetsurō rekindle their friendship leaving Kenma feeling left out.Kenma grows conflicted of his opinion on Y/N.He didn't know whether he liked her or disliked her.- - - -*Extremely slowburn!*- - - -I *do not* give anyone any permission to translate, create videos, or republish my work. I have all rights to my stories and would appreciate everyone to enjoy them on the platforms I post these stories on. These stories are free and I don't feel comfortable knowing others are making money off of them. (｡•́︿•̀｡)If you see my work anywhere else other than Wattpad and AO3, just know I did not give them any permission.
Relationships: Kozume Kenma/Reader
Comments: 24
Kudos: 74





	1. Welcome to the neighborhood

Your dad drives the movers truck into the driveway. "Here we are Y/N." Dad smiles at the house in front of you. You groggily wake up, your mother's photo frame still tightly held in your arm. Rubbing your eyes, you look ahead at your new home. Your dad's job relocated him to Tokyo so the two of you packed everything from your old home of eight years into one movers truck. The two of you needed a change of view from your previous countryside life since your mother's passing last year.

_Tokyo is the perfect answer._

Life here seems to go in a blur. Everyone's in a hurry to go somewhere and no one seems to stop to smell the flowers. The two of you unbuckle your seat-belts and hop out of the truck. The sun is already setting by the time you arrived. Dad walks over to you, placing his arm around your shoulder. You clench tightly onto your mothers photo frame. "This is our new home honey." Dad whispers towards the house. You mentally wish your mother is here to see it. You rest your head on your dads chest. With his free hand he ruffles the top of your head.

Kuroo and Kozume are walking home from practice and notice a movers truck just across from Kozume's house. Kuroo takes the popsicle out of his mouth and glances over, curious. "Hey, look Kenma we have new neighbors." Kozume raises his eyes away from his phone and looks towards the direction Kuroo's staring at. "Should we go greet them? Kuroo turns to look at Kozume who wears a deadpan expression. Kuroo turns his attention back to the new neighbors and notices a girl walk inside the house. A smirk grows on his face.

"Oh god." Kozume mumbles under his breath. Kuroo quickly runs over to the movers truck leaving Kozume behind.

"Welcome to the neighborhood sir." Kuroo bows to Y/N's father, a smile on his face. Y/N's dad jumps in surprise when he turns around to see a teenager with messy spiky black hair. "Ah, thank you." Dad grins. He looks at Kuroo a bit longer, recognizing those familiar hazel eyes with cat like pupils. Kuroo also tilts his head, taking a look at the man. "Correct me if I'm wrong but...are you Kuroo Tetsurō?" Kuroo looks alarmed when he hears his name. "Yes, that would be me." Kuroo blinks in surprise. The man laughs wholeheartedly. "Such a small world. I didn't think I'd see you after you moved eight years ago."

Kozume quietly stands next to Kuroo and Y/N's dad notices a new face. "Hello sir." Kozume says softly. "This is my friend, Kozume Kenma." Kuroo happily introduces the two. "Is Mrs. Y/L/N and Y/N with you?" Y/N's dad's smile droops a bit. "My wife passed away last year. But Y/N is with me. She should come back out shortly."

"Dad, what's taking so long?" You walk out of the house after placing a few boxes inside. You notice two unfamiliar faces standing in front of your dad. A tall broad shoulder guy with messy spiky black hair starts running at you full force. You squeal at the sudden charge, attempting to dodge out of the way.

_Who is this lunatic and why is he coming at you?!_

However, his long arms envelope you into a tight embrace. You paralyze in his grasp, your eyes wide. "Y/N, it's been awhile." The strange guy speaks to you. Your brows knit together, confused.

_How did he know your name?_

You ready yourself to push him off but he pulls away from you. "It's me, Kuroo Tetsurō." The guy named Kuroo Tetsurō gives you a lopsided smile. You ponder on the name, averting your eyes to the side. "Hey, you can't have forgotten me?!" Kuroo grumbles, crossing his arms. "The Tetsurō I remembered was shy and cute." You mumble to yourself. "HEY. I HEARD THAT. Are you saying I'm not cute?!" You flick your eyes to Kuroo. "You're also not quiet either." Kuroo clenches his teeth together, pulling your cheek. "HEY." You shout out.

"That's how you greet your childhood friend? We were best friends at one point you know?!" You pry his fingers off your cheek and frown, placing a hand on the cheek he just pinched. "Yeah, at one point." You grumble, walking past him. Kuroo notices Y/N's standoffish behavior. He reaches out to grab your wrist and you turn around to look at him, pulling your arm back. Your dad steps up from behind you and apologizes to Kuroo for your behavior. "Y/N hasn't been herself since her mother passed. Sorry for the way she's acting towards you Kuroo." You shoot a glare at your dad.

Kuroo slowly nods his head, his hazel eyes still on you. Kozume quietly walks over to Kuroo's side and you have a clearer view of the second stranger. The guy standing next to Kuroo is average height with black roots and blonde long hair that stops to his neck. You quickly notice his cat like golden eyes. "Kenma, meet my childhood best friend." Kuroo points towards you. Your eyes stare over at the cat like guy. Neither of you say a word to one another. Your dad gently presses down on your back, making you bow towards the two.

"D-Dad." You stand upright. "Stop being so uptight. These two came over to welcome us." Dad scolds you before walking back to the truck. Biting your lower lip, you slowly look up to Kuroo's friend.

"Kozume Kenma, Kuroo's current best friend." The guy in front of you speaks up. You're surprised by how much deeper his voice is compared to Kuroo's. "Y/L/N Y/N, it's nice to meet you." The two of you stare at each other in silence. "My dad and I have a lot of unpacking to do so...if you'll excuse me." You bow to the two of them and turn your back around, walking over to help your dad.

Kuroo scratches the back of his head. "She used to be a cheerful silly girl. I guess losing her mother really upset her."

"Nothing you can do about it Kuro." Kozume says towards him. "Let's go back to our homes. We still have school tomorrow and I'd like to beat the last stage in my game before bed." Kuroo chuckles next to Kozume and nods his head. The two quietly walk back across the street. Kuroo turns his head to watch Y/N carry boxes inside the house. His lips frowning when he sees how different she is from what he remembered.


	2. Ice Princess

The morning brisk air fills your lungs while you walk towards Nekoma High. Your eyes lower to your new uniform. A white top, red bow with gold stripes, and a dark grey skirt. Pressing your lips together and furrowing your brows you feel the nervousness eat at you. You'll be attending as a second year in the middle of summer. Many friend groups have already formed the beginning of spring semester.

_Will you be able to make any friends?_

You're not the most approachable as of late. You're not the same girl as you were last year. The happy go lucky girl you grew accustomed to drifted the day you lost your mother. She was your sun. The one that kept your smile on your face when you felt lonely. You couldn't blame your father for your change since he's always working to provide for the both of you. But you'd wish you had more time with him. Your view on everything seems to have darken without your mother.

_You lost your best friend-- your mother._

Kuroo's face travels it's way to your mind and you push him away. The day Kuroo, his father, and grandparents moved to Tokyo broke your heart. Kuroo was your only friend from your small little countryside. You didn't make any friends after his leave eight years ago. You then remember the cat like guy that stood next to Kuroo.

"Kozume Kenma, Kuroo's current best friend."

You recall Kozume's words. A grimace on your face. "His current best friend." The way Kozume said those words seemed like a jab towards you. You are unsure how to feel when you ponder on the thought. Pulling yourself out of your thoughts, you find your way to the staffs office to get your schedule. After receiving your schedule, you quietly follow behind your homeroom teacher. She smiles at you brightly and tells you to wait outside. "Just step in when I tell the class we have a new student, Y/L/N." She slides the door open and close. You slowly open and close your hands. Anxiety creeps from your toes up to your face.

Faintly you hear the teacher greet everyone. "Good morning class. I hope you've all finished your homework from yesterday?" You hear a few grunts and yes's. "I'll be picking those up after I introduce you to a new classmate. She just moved to Tokyo yesterday so I hope you all give her a warm welcome." The classroom sounds more lively with several hushed whispers. Taking a deep breath, you slide the door open to step inside. Your legs feel as if they're made of cement with each step you take towards the classroom.

Your eyes glance around the room and a familiar yet unfamiliar face catches your attention. Kozume is staring out of the window, his chin resting on his palm. Hiding your nervousness, you bow to the class. 

"I'm Y/L/N Y/N, it's nice to meet you." 

Hearing your name Kozume slowly turns his attention to you, the two of you sharing a glance. "If you'd like, can you take the seat next to Kozume?" The teacher looks over to the black to blonde haired student. You nod, slowly making your way over to the empty seat beside Kozume. You keep your eyes down, not wanting to look at anyone. Once you sit down, the anxiety from earlier seeps away. You quietly sigh under your breath. 

_Today is going to be a long one._

Kozume looks at Y/L/N from the corner of his eye, noticing her stress but not saying anything directly to her. 

The next few hours drag and your eyelids grow heavy. The teacher ends the lesson and everyone shuffles out of the classroom for lunch break. You hear Kozume rustle beside you, getting out of his seat and silently walking out of the classroom with the other students. Rubbing your eyes, you let a yawn out. You hardly got any sleep last night. Your dad and you only had enough time to move all the boxes inside the house before eating a light dinner and sleeping on the floor. The both of you were exhausted from the long drive. 

Slowly, you get out of your seat. You are the last one to leave the classroom. Upon stepping out of the hallway, you see several students meet up with their friends, heading to the cafeteria, or heading elsewhere. You decide to go outside for some fresh air. The sun would do you some good and hopefully wake your drowsy self up. As you make your way outside, you feel a few curious stares thrown your way. "Is that a new student? I don't think I've seen her before." A guy whispers to his group of friends. 

"She's cute." 

"Doesn't she feel a bit...distant?" 

You ignore the whispers, pressing your lips into a fine line. Quickening your pace, you walk outside of the second year wing. "AH, EXCUSE ME!" A voice shouts to your left, you turn your head to see the owner of the voice. An exceptionally tall light grey haired guy runs at full force in your direction. You quickly take a step back, brows furrowed.

_What is with everyone charging towards you?_

A guy with a blonde mohawk chases after him, calling out to him. "LEV, I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS." The guy Lev slows down when he turns to look at you. His slanted green eyes curiously rests on your face. He startles when he hears the guy behind him catch up. "I'M GOING TO TELL KUROO YOU'RE BULLYING ME!" Lev shouts, his legs much longer than the mohawk's. You tense when you hear the name Kuroo. It seems like Kuroo's made several friends since the two of you parted. You ignore the feeling of loneliness that creeps into your heart. You decide to find a vending machine before finding a spot to be alone. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

"KUROO!" Lev cries out to the spiky black haired student. Kuroo turns to look at Lev who's frantically running towards him and Kozume. The two sitting at a picnic table in the courtyard. Kozume sighs under his breath, glancing at Lev's horrified expression. "What is it this time?" Kuroo shouts from his seat. Lev crashes himself against the table and Yamamoto is right on his tail. The two clashing into each other. Yamamoto grabs the back of Lev's shirt and shakes his furiously. "HOW DARE YOU TAKE THE LAST YAKISOBA BREAD." Yamamoto shouts loudly. 

"YOU'RE SQUISHING IT YAMAMOTO." Lev yells out, clutching the yakisoba bread close to his chest. "Idiot, you are squishing it." Kozume looks at how tightly Lev is holding it. "Oh." Lev chuckles, embarrassed. 

Kuroo easily takes the yakisoba bread away from Lev while he's distracted. Both Lev and Yamamoto turn their eyes towards Kuroo. One in surprise and the other in anger. Kuroo takes the plastic off of the bread and takes a huge bite. Both Lev and Yamamoto's jaw drops. "Now neither of you can have it. Problem solved." Kuroo says happily, laughing while he takes another bite. Yamamoto releases his hold on Lev's shirt and turns his anger towards Kuroo. He begins to spout but Kuroo doesn't pay him any mind. Lev weakly rests his head onto the table and frowns, his stomach growling. 

Kozume idly stares at Lev, his expression blank. "If I knew this would happen I should've just let Yamamoto catch up to me." Lev pouts. "I even saw a pretty girl and didn't get to chat her up." Lev puckers his lips, ruffling his light grey hair. Kuroo's ears heightens when he hears Lev say the words 'pretty girl'. "Who's this pretty girl you speak of?" Kuroo turns his attention to Lev, handing Yamamoto the leftover yakisoba bread to shut him up. 

Lev looks over at Kuroo, "She looks like a new student. I saw her step out of the second year wing." Kuroo's face grows more serious instead of snarky. "What did she look like?" Lev looks up to the sky, trying to remember what Y/L/N looked like. "She had h/c h/l (hair color/hair length) hair. Pretty e/c (eye color) eyes and..." Lev returns his gaze to Kuroo. "She gave me this mysterious vibe. Like an ice princess." 

"An ice princess? What the hell kind of description is that Lev." Yamamoto asks with a stuffed face. Lev sits up straight, narrowing his eyes towards Yamamoto. "What's wrong with my description?! Ice princess's are pretty cool. Have you ever read a manga or watch any anime or even played any games?" Yamamoto scoffs, not paying attention to Levi. "It sounds like Lev saw your childhood friend, Kuro." Kozume looks over at Kuroo who wears a distant expression. Kozume notices the way Kuroo changes when he thinks about Y/L/N.

"Did you see where she went?" Kuroo glances over at Lev. Lev shakes his head, "Why? Are you going to ask for her number? If so, can you share her number with me too." Kuroo shakes his head. "I'm not letting you get anywhere near her." Lev frowns deeply. "WHY NOT. I SAW HER FIRST." Kuroo gets up from the picnic table, sliding his hands in his pockets. "No, I did. Eight years before you Lev." Kuroo speaks in a low voice, a gentle expression graces his face when he thinks about Y/L/N. Kozume eyes Kuroo's gentle smile. A smile he's never seen Kuroo make. 

"Eight...years?" Lev tries to process Kuroo's words. 

"Idiot, that means she's an old friend of Kuroo's." Yamamoto looks over at Lev who has his fingers up, counting eight. 

"Are you going to look for her?" Kozume calls out to Kuroo. Kuroo nods his head, turning slightly to look at Kozume. "I'll come with." Kuroo raises an eyebrow, "Are you sure? You don't usually willingly come with me when I talk to people you're strangers with." Kozume shrugs, getting up from the picnic bench. "It's better than hanging out with these two." 

"HEY." Lev and Yamamoto simultaneously yell out. 

"Alright, let's go look for the ice princess." Kuroo smirks.


	3. Can't you rely on me?

Buying a peach flavored water, you hold the cold bottle in your small hands. You find an empty bench resting under a large tree in the front entrance of the large courtyard. Sitting down you feel your drowsiness return. The millionth sigh escaping your lips. Tiredly you unscrew the cap from your water bottle and take a sip. Leaning your back on the bench, you close your eyes, feeling the wind gently breeze through your hair. You make the mistake of closing your eyes. Exhaustion and anxiety pulls you into a slow slumber. 

Kozume and Kuroo step out from another part of the courtyard. The two walk towards the center of the courtyard. "Do you know where to even look?" Kozume speaks lowly under his breath. Kuroo shrugs, scratching the side of his face. "It can't be that hard to find her." His narrow hazel eyes slowly scan the courtyard. His eyes land on Y/N under the large tree in the middle of the courtyard. "Found her. That was easy." Kuroo grins from ear to ear, heading over towards her sleeping form. Kozume is surprised at how easily Y/L/N is to be found, his footsteps follow behind Kuroo. Kuroo tilts his head to the side when he walks closer to her, noticing her closed eyes. 

"Is she asleep?" Kuroo whispers to Kozume. Kozume lazily looks over to Y/L/N, noticing the slow movement of her chest. "Looks like it." Kuroo's gentle smile reappears when he looks at Y/N. "She looks like the girl I remember eight years ago." 

"You watched her when she'd sleep?" Kozume raises a brow, questioning Kuroo's weird behavior. Kuroo clenches his teeth, whisper yelling. "Shut up. You're making it sound weird. Y/N and I were pretty close when we were kids. We'd always tire ourselves out when we ran around the countryside. It was normal for the both of us to take naps together while her mom made us lunch." Kozume slowly nods his head, turning his attention back to Y/L/N. 

"So you two were that close..." Kozume murmurs. 

Kuroo nods his head, carefully taking a step closer to Y/N. "You shouldn't fall asleep defenselessly like this Y/N." His voice a soft whisper. He extends his hand towards her, his fingers gently moving the hair away that covers her eyes. Kozume silently watches Kuroo. He's never seen Kuroo treat someone so delicately. He's seeing a new to side Kuroo ever since she's shown up. "You should be careful Kuroo. She might wake up and get angry." Kozume whispers. "I can take her." Kuroo chuckles warmly.

Kozume stares at Kuroo with surprise. "I've never heard you laugh like that before." Kuroo grows flustered from Kozume's analysis. A blush forcing it's way on Kuroo's face. "Or that." Kozume points out Kuroo's blush. "Shut up Kenma!" Kuroo speaks a bit too loud, startling Y/N awake.

You knit your brows together from the voice. Slowly you flutter your eyes open and see Kuroo standing in front of you. You bolt awake, glancing at Kuroo. "Shit." Kuroo mutters under his breath when he sees Y/N is awake. He raises a hand up to greet you. "Nice to see you again Y/N." You narrow your eyes on Kuroo. "Were you watching me sleep?" Kuroo staggers, unsure how to reply to you. You take his silence as a yes and groan under your breath. Mentally you curse yourself for falling asleep so easily. 

"You should be careful next time Y/N. Who knows what would happen if someone else noticed you were asleep." Kuroo says towards you. Biting your lower lip, you stand up. "I don't need to hear that from you. I know I shouldn't fall asleep randomly in public." You didn't expect to fall asleep so easily like that. Feeling embarrassed and annoyed, you walk away. Kuroo grabs your wrist, just like he did yesterday. "Are you going to act like you don't know me Y/N?" Kuroo asks you, his tone slightly hurt. You pull your wrist back. "We're not the same people as we were when we were kids Tetsurō." 

Kuroo stubbornly grabs your wrist again, tugging you towards him. You angrily flick your eyes towards him and notice his piercing gaze. "You're lying. I know the girl I used to know is still in you." The two of you glare at each other in silence. "I don't know what happened to you but I'm here now Y/N. Can't you rely on me?" Kuroo shouts at you. You falter slightly from his booming voice. For a second you feel your imaginary wall crack but you quickly pull your wrist back. 

"I was fine without you for the last eight years Tetsurō. I doubt I crossed your mind until yesterday. You have others to worry about now." You speak coldly towards Kuroo, your eyes flick over to Kozume who's behind him. The irritation in Kuroo's face loosens. Kozume tugs on the back of Kuroo's shirt. "Kuroo, you should give her space." Kuroo grunts, his eyes still staring at you. 

"Listen to your best friend." You speak lowly, turning your back to Kuroo and walking yourself back to class. When Y/N's out of Kuroo's sight, he loudly groans. His hands clenching into fists by his sides. "Why is she acting like this towards me?" Kuroo messily runs his hands through his spiky hair. Kozume quietly eyes Kuroo's frustrations. "Are you sure you two were close?" Kozume speaks out to Kuroo who's now pacing back and forth with a dark glare. "I doubt she's changed just because of her mom's passing. There has to be more to it." 

"Hey, are you ignoring me?" Kozume asks with his signature deadpan expression. Kuroo turns to look at Kozume. "Sorry, what were you saying Kenma?" Kozume sighs, "Does Y/L/N mean a lot to you Kuro?" Kuroo stares at Kozume in silence, stopping his back and forth pacing. He lowers his hands from his hair. "Yeah. She was my first love." Kuroo lowers his eyes to the ground. A melancholy smile on his face. Kozume is surprised by Kuroo's answer, his eyes widening just a bit. 


	4. Fake Confidence

Kozume returns to class after parting with Kuroo. He notices Y/L/N's face hiding within her arms crossed on the table. Quietly, Kozume sits down in his seat beside Y/L/N. His eyes glancing over to her. 

**Kuroo's first love.**

_What was she like before?_

Kozume's only opinion of her is that she's quick to get angry if it's Kuroo who's speaking to her. She remains distant with everyone else. Kozume turns his eyes away from Y/L/N. A few more students file into the classroom, returning to their seats after lunch. A group of male students glance over at Y/L/N. "Did you hear she already has a nickname circling the school?" 

"What is it?"

"Ice princess." The group quietly snickers. "Who even gave her that nickname? It suits her though. Such a pretty face but she's too unapproachable." 

"I heard someone say they saw her reject Kuroo during lunch." 

"Really?? She's pretty bold to reject the captain of the volleyball team." Kozume's attention perks up from the conversation. His eyes narrowing towards the group. You overhear the conversation in front of you. 

_Ice princess? Rejecting Kuroo? Who made up this nonsense._

Raising your head up, you glare at the group of male students. "Maybe you should stop spreading false information." The group turns their attention to you. "What was that?" One of the guys is easily ticked off from your sharp tongue. They get up from their seat and walk towards your desk. The student hovers over you and you straighten yourself in your seat. Your eyes unwavering from the glare you're receiving. Kozume turns his head, speechless at the events happening before him. He's unsure if he should interfere. He tends to keep to himself and hates bringing attention to himself.

"I said, stop spreading lies. Kuroo didn't confess his feelings to me so there was no 'rejection'. I recommend you to cross check your statements before spreading such stupid gossip." You hold back the slight fear of being slapped by the guy in front of you. Clenching your hands in your lap. The anger in the students eyes flicker more and you watch him clench his teeth. "You may look pretty but your attitude is sour. I'd hit you if you weren't a girl." You scoff under your breath, laughing at the guy. Narrowing your eyes, you taunt him. "Hit me. I'd like to see you try." Your fingernails dig into your palms and your knuckles turn white. You're unsure why you're pretending to be confident when internally you're the complete opposite. 

The guy raises his arm up and the loud sound of a chair squeaking fills the tension. Kozume stands up from his seat, extending his hand in front of your face. The two of you glance over to Kozume. Kozume eyes the male student with his usual empty stare. "K-Kozume?" The student stares at Kozume with surprise. "I suggest you don't hit her." Kozume mumbles towards the angry classmate. You watch the male student give in easily, clicking his tongue when he glares at you one last time before returning to his seat. 

Kozume lowers his hand when he sees the student sit down. He then sits back down next to you. Your eyes slowly look over at Kozume in surprise. 

_Why did he step in?_

"You shouldn't taunt someone when you're scared." Kozume speaks lowly beside you. His eyes glance over to your tightly clasped fists. You quickly unravel your hands and lower your eyes. Kozume's heart races, his chest tight. He, himself, was also scared but his body quickly moved and he just winged it. He's hypocritical of his own words. "Thank you, Kozume." You sincerely thanked him, feeling the anxiety in your palms still. Kozume looks at Y/L/N from the corner of his eyes. A sadden expression written on her face. Kozume silently nods his head, his opinions of her slowly changing. 

The remainder of your day quickly passes after your confrontation with the angry male student. The sweet sound of the bell rings throughout the school and you relax your shoulders. The end of the school day is finally here. You want nothing more right now than to go home and distress. Your hands quickly throw your belongings into your backpack and you leave the classroom. Kozume watches Y/L/N disappear out the classroom door. His eyes then flick over to her desk, noticing her phone laying inside her desk cubby. He places his backpack over his shoulders and reaches inside of Y/L/N's desk to grab her phone. He hurries out of the classroom but Y/L/N's no where to be found. Kozume sighs under his breath, walking out of the second year wing.

"Kenma!" Kuroo calls out to Kozume, running up to meet him. "Ready for practice?" Kuroo notices an unfamiliar phone in Kozume's hand. His eyebrow raised. "Did you get a new phone? It's a bit girly..." 

"Idiot, it's not mine. Y/L/N left it." Kuroo's attention perks when he hears Y/L/N's name. "Well where is she? We have to give it back to her." Kuroo looks past Kozume's head. "She ran off in a hurry. Who knows where she is right now." 

"Well, obviously she's going home. Let's hurry and find her before she gets on the train." Kuroo starts to run towards the school entrance. Kozume mentally sighs. He's doing a lot of things he's disliked since Y/L/N's appearance. He willingly runs after Kuroo, tightly clutching onto Y/L/N's phone. 


	5. Train incident

In a rush, you fight your way through the busy crowd in Tokyo Station. You're unfamiliar to such large crowds in one single area. Thankfully you remember the correct train to take back home so you wouldn't have to be lost in this mass amount of people. Your timing is perfect when you see your train slowly arrive. A loud sound rings out in the train station to warn others to steer clear of the incoming train. Slowly, the train comes to a halt and you step aside to let the passengers exit. After waiting for the others to exit, you're slowly pushed inside by the people around you. You feel as if you're being carried by a wave. Your backpack is squished among the adults around you so you quickly take it off your back. The train picks back up and you falter slightly, your body bumping into a few people. 

Lowering your head, you apologize. Keeping your head down, you fumble around in your backpack to grab your phone to only realize it's not inside. 

_Did you leave it at school?_

Realizing you left your phone behind, you grumble to yourself. You then suddenly feel a pair of hands touch your backside. The color in your face pales. With the amount of strangers around you, you're unsure who it is that's groping you. Fear attacks your mind when the hand boldly touches the back of your thigh. Their filthy hands slowly move up and you feel the corner of your eyes sting with tears. You've heard stories of girls being harassed like this before back at home. You'd never think this will happen to you though.

_You are too naïve._

Turning around, you cry out in the silent train. "Stop it!" Your eyes wavering towards three separate men. Each varying in age. Your eyes dart to all three of them, unsure who it is that touched you. One specific man looks more startled than the other two. A middle aged man in a business suit. "What's your problem, student?" He glares at you, his eyes shifting. "You touched me that's the problem." You angrily shout, holding back your tears. "Really? There's several people here. Anyone can brush up against you." He mocks you, making you seem like a liar. 

You feel yourself falter from his words, the others ignoring the situation. With wavering eyes you feel your heart drop. 

_No one believes you._

"We both saw you touch her." A booming voice cuts through the crowd and the man before you stiffens. Guilt written all over his face. A tall broad shouldered guy shoves his way through the crowd, they shield you from the harasser. You notice the familiar messy spiky black hair. 

_Tetsurō..._

A warm hand reaches out for your wrist and you nervously jolt. You ready yourself to pull away when you notice Kozume. "Are you okay?" He looks at you, his hand slowly dropping from your wrist. Seeing these two in front of you gives you relief and the tears you held back slides down your face. You look at Kozume with glossy eyes, shaking your head no. "What kind of asshole gropes a high school girl?" Kuroo glares at the man in front of you, his eyes look the man up and down. "You look like you're a father too." 

The man holds his ground, glaring at Kuroo. "What if I am?" Kuroo scoffs, eyes piercing the man. "How would you feel if someone did that to your daughter?" Silence comes from the man and he darts his eyes down. The train comes to a stop and the man quickly dashes out. Kuroo yells at the man at the top of his lungs. "IF I SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN, I'M GOING TO TAKE YOU TO THE AUTHORITIES." The train door then closes and Kuroo turns around to look at you. 

"Are you okay Y/N?" His loud tone earlier is much softer when he speaks to you. You shake your head, wrapping your arms around Kuroo's waist. Kuroo stiffens from your sudden embrace. He carefully places one hand on the back of your head, the other on the palm of your back. Your tears stain Kuroo's white shirt. "I was so scared." You whimper out into his chest. 

_Just this once you'll lower your guard in front of Tetsurō._

Kuroo's large hand gently strokes your hair and he envelopes you tightly. The earthy woody smell from Kuroo eases your heighten nerves. Kozume silently watches Kuroo and Y/L/N. His vision of the incident earlier still clear in his mind. Kozume narrows his golden eyes to his hand that holds onto Y/L/N's phone. He mentally thanks her for leaving this behind. You hide yourself in Kuroo's arms the remainder of the train ride. Your anxiety not leaving you as you still feel as if you're being groped. You don't know how long it's been when Kuroo calls out to you. 

"Y/N, this is our stop." He whispers above you. Slowly, you pull yourself away from Kuroo, lowering your arms to your side. The train doors open up behind Kuroo and he steps aside to let you out first. Stepping out, you nervously avoid the passengers around you. Kuroo and Kozume quietly walk behind you, the three of you exiting the train station. When you find a clearing from the crowd, you turn around to face the two. With a slight bow you say a thank you. "Thank you for helping me and sorry for troubling you both." You raise your head, a small forced smile on your face. 

Kozume steps forward, extending your phone in his hand. You look in surprise when you see your phone in his hand. You graciously take your phone back. "You left this in your desk." Kozume softly says to you. If you hadn't left your phone behind, these two wouldn't have been on the same train as you. A tear slides down your face and you quickly wipe it away. You turn your attention away from your phone and towards Kozume. "Thank you for bringing this to me." 

Kozume silently looks at you, a small nod. Kuroo steps towards you, his hands in his pockets. "Should I walk you home?" You turn your gaze to Kuroo, noticing his worried expression. "No, it's okay. I'll be fine on my own from here." 

"It's no bother Y/N. We live in the same neighborhood." Kuroo speaks adamantly. You quietly look at Kuroo, your eyes noticing his gym bag beside him. A volleyball iron on plastered on the bag. It looks like Kuroo still plays volleyball like he did when you two were kids. "You have volleyball practice, right?" You return your gaze on Kuroo who looks surprised from your question. "Sorry for making you two come out of your way to give my phone back when you have practice." You bow to the two again and quickly turn around to hurry home. Kuroo drops his shoulders, a sigh escaping from him. 

"Should we follow her?" Kozume looks over at Kuroo. Kuroo shakes his head. "She's made up her mind. I don't want to annoy her more than I have today." He turns around and walks towards the station. Kozume takes one last look at Y/L/N's small silhouette before following after Kuroo. The afternoon rush is gone and the train station is less crowded now when Kuroo and Kozume step back inside. The two of them wait for the next train to head back to school. "Y/L/N likes to appear brave but she's actually fragile." Kozume quietly speaks up to Kuroo. 

"What made you say that Kenma?" Kuroo looks to his side towards Kozume. Kozume keeps his eyes ahead, his lips parting. "After lunch these guys in our class were gossiping about her and when they mentioned your name she called them out for it." Kuroo looks more interested in the conversation, he leans over to Kozume. "She...what?" Kozume slowly turns to look at Kuroo. "She told them to not spread any lies. One of the guys didn't like that and stomped over to her desk. He questioned what she said and she said something smart towards him."

"What were they even saying to make her retort?" Kuroo raises an eyebrow. "That she's an ice princess and that she rejected you." Kozume turns his gaze back ahead. "R-Rejected me?!" Kuroo falters from hearing the reasoning, his voice loud in the quiet train station. "What idiot started that lie?!" 

"He then called her pretty with a sour personality and that he'd hit her if she wasn't a girl." Kuroo lowers his voice when he hears Kozume. A serious expression forming on Kuroo's earlier annoyed face. "Hit her?" Kozume lowers his eyes to his shoes, scoffing. Kuroo is taken aback when he sees Kozume scoff. He's not used to Kozume expressing much. Kozume raises his hand, scratching the side of his head. "I don't know what went through Y/L/N's mind when she taunted the guy to hit her. I noticed how tightly she held her fists under the desk, but she held such a fierce gaze towards the guy." 

Kuroo silently listens to Kozume. An exhausted sigh comes from Kozume. "The guy raised his arm up and I feared he'd actually hit her. My body moved on it's own and I got up to protect her." Kozume rubs his forehead. 

"You really did that Kenma?" Kuroo looks surprised and Kozume nods his head, turning to look at Kuroo. "I feel like I shaved off ten years of my life. I was so nervous." Kozume shivers involuntarily when he thinks back to earlier today. Kuroo places a hand on Kozume's shoulder, squeezing. "Thank you for protecting her for me Kozume. It must've taken a lot out of you." Kuroo flashes Kozume a wide grin. "I don't plan to do it again after today. My energy is at it's lowest than it's ever been." Kozume murmurs under his breath. Kuroo only laughs at Kozume's statement. The sound of the train pulls the two away from their conversation and they safely commute back to school for volleyball practice. 


	6. Convenience Store

Your walk back home was stressful. You constantly kept looking over your shoulder, fidgeting ever so slightly when a person walks past you. You started to regret not accepting Kuroo's offer to walk you home when you walk the streets of Tokyo. Only when you turned the corner to your neighborhood do you feel some sort of relief. You quicken your pace towards your house, grabbing the house key out from your backpack. You then turn the doorknob open after inserting the key in the slot. Closing the door behind you, your legs give out from under you.

"I'm home." You silently whisper to the empty house. Your eyes look up to your mothers photo frame. She hangs right next to the door to greet you and your father. A frown etches on your face and you start to cry. "I wish you were here mom." The tears fall onto your lap and you pull your knees to your chest. In the comfort of your own home, you start to loudly sob into your arms. Your body trembling immensely.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

After your meltdown, you busy yourself with homework and unpacking the many boxes in your room. You notice the orange and pink hues that paint your bedroom when you hang up your calendar. You walk over to your phone that lays on your desk to see the time which is now 6:30PM. Walking past the boxes, you hurry downstairs. With no food in the house, you decide to go back out to the nearest convenience store to pick something up for your dad and yourself. Sliding your shoes on, you open the door and close it behind you. You turn around to lock the door and quietly make your way out of the neighborhood.

The usual sound of summer cicadas are replaced with the faint sound of cars. Despite wanting a change of pace, you started to ache the countryside you grew up in. Your hand reaches towards your hair tie and you pull your hair tie down. Letting the summer breeze flow through your hair and kiss your bare skin. You stop in your tracks when you see Kozume and Kuroo walking in front of you. The two seem to be returning from practice and are chatting among each other. Nervousness fills your body when you see them. You start to feel insecure of what you're wearing. A black spaghetti strap tank top and red gym shorts. Biting your lower lip, you debate whether to turn around or not. But Kuroo quickly notices you while you ponder to yourself.

"Y/N?" Kuroo and Kozume are now in front of you. "What are you doing blanking out in the middle of the path? Wait, you shouldn't walk out looking like that." Kuroo furrows his brows together, his cheeks a faint pink. You press your lips together. "You're being dramatic." You flick your eyes towards Kuroo, faltering slightly when you see his blushing face. Kuroo takes off the red jacket he's wearing and walks towards you. He tries to drape it over you but you move away from him. "Stop being stubborn and put this on." Kuroo grumbles at you, extending the jacket towards you.

"I don't need it." You retort back. "I'm just going to the convenience store and then I'm heading back home." You step to the side and walk past Kuroo. You feel the wall you've built in front of Kuroo is starting to crumble and it scares you. You're unwilling to put your trust in anyone. For the third time that the two of you have seen each other, a familiar grasp on your wrist pulls you back. Kuroo has you within his hold again.

"I'm only telling you to put this on so you won't attract unwanted attention." Kuroo's hazel eyes pierce at you. Kozume watches Y/L/N's glare towards Kuroo soften slightly. "I don't know if you're unaware Y/N, but you're a pretty girl. You have to be more careful around here. There's a bunch of weirdos in Tokyo." Your lips twitch when you look at Kuroo, the fake anger you showed him earlier slips up. You give in and take his jacket, pulling your wrist away. You drape the large jacket over your small frame. You try to glare at Kuroo again, bowing to him slightly before continuing your walk to the convenience store. Kuroo sighs when he sees Y/N walk away, his hand ruffling his hair in annoyance.

"So much for not annoying her Kuro." Kozume nonchalantly speaks up. Kuroo ignores Kozume, his hands slapping his face. "God. Did I just tell her she was pretty?!" Kuroo screams in his palms. "She's going to ignore me even more from now on."

"It's unlike you to act like this." Kozume pokes fun of Kuroo. "You're usually so cocky when you compliment girls with false lies." Kuroo turns to look at Kozume. "Well, because I didn't take those girls seriously. I told them what they wanted to hear and moved on. But, with Y/N..." Kuroo groans loudly, forcing his hands into his pockets. He walks ahead and Kozume follows behind him. "You still have feelings for Y/L/N, don't you Kuro?" Kozume throws the question out to Kuroo. Kuroo whips his body around and stares at Kozume.

"What makes you say that Kenma?"

Kozume shrugs. "She's making you act like a totally different guy. You're more...soft. But it's only when she's around." Kuroo runs over to Kozume, gripping onto Kozume's arms and he starts to shake Kozume like a doll. "ME. SOFT?!" Kuroo laughs at the thought. "Well from what she said about you being shy when you were younger...it's a close similarity." Kozume blankly looks at Kuroo. Kuroo averts his gaze, releasing his hold on Kozume. Under Kuroo's breath he whispers, "Shut up." Kuroo sulks, turning his heel back forward.

"Don't you want to see if she'll be okay by herself? It's getting dark out." Kozume calls out to Kuroo. "Of course I do." Kuroo grumbles. "But she'll only get angry at me if she knows I followed after her."

"I'll go with you." Kozume suggests something he wouldn't usually. Seeing Kuroo upset worried Kozume so he threw out an idea. "Alright, let's go then." Kuroo brightens again, turning back around to look at Kozume. "We should hurry up and run over there." Kuroo starts to run again, leaving Kozume behind. "Running...again?" Kozume grumbles but he starts to run after Kuroo.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

You find the nearest convenience store with no trouble. You walk towards the sliding doors and enter the store, picking up a basket. Slowly, you walk down the first aisle which carries candy and chips. The sound of a ding rings in the store when more customers enter. You pay them no mind as you browse the candy selection. Kuroo easily spots Y/N, his breathing heavy when he enters the store. The clerk at the front greets him and Kuroo quickly bows, not saying a word. Kozume places a hand over his chest, his breathing also not steady.

"I hate today." Kozume murmurs beside Kuroo. "She's right there." Kuroo whisper shouts to Kozume. The two quietly walk over to the aisle behind Y/N. "Candy?" Kozume whispers when he watches Y/L/N. "Shhh she'll hear you Kenma."

"She'll see your hair before she sees me Kuro." Kozume bluntly retorts and Kuroo leans down from Kozume's statement. You grab a bag of peach rings and place it inside your basket. You then walk over to the cold food selection on the back wall. The variety here is beyond the selection you have back at your old place. A sparkle shines in your eyes when you see several boxed meals.

"She's so cute." Kuroo squeaks out next to Kozume. Kozume sees Y/L/N smile and he hears Kuroo clench his chest dramatically. You reach towards an inari sushi box but your hand clashes with another extended hand. You jerk back and apologize. You look over to see the person to only realize it's the same guy you saw earlier today during lunch break. You didn't realize how tall this grey haired, green eyed, guy is until you're standing directly in front of him. He also recognizes you and extends the inari box towards you. "Sorry you were also reaching for this, right?"

You shake your head. "You can have it. I was just going to get it for my dad. I can get him something else."

"Is that Lev?!" Kuroo grumbles at the sudden situation. "So she doesn't get angry in front of Lev..." Kozume speaks his thoughts aloud. Kuroo looks at Kozume with furrowed brows. "What are you muttering over here?! We have to stop Lev from talking to her." Kuroo stands up straight and starts to make his way over to the two of you but he's pulled back by Kozume. "We're not suppose to let her see us, Kuro." Kozume looks up at Kuroo.

"But-" Kozume shakes his head and Kuroo gives in, sighing.

"Oh so your dad is the one that likes inari sushi?" Lev chuckles, scratching his cheek. "I was hoping you did. Since not many people around my age enjoys them."

"Sorry..." You awkwardly laugh.

"She's laughing with him?!" Kuroo groans under his breath, he shakes his fists beside him.

"Oh! My name is Haiba Lev, what's yours?"

"Y/L/N Y/N." You answer him. "Are you a third year?" Lev waves his hand in front of him. "No, I'm actually a first year." Your eyebrows raise. "Really? I wouldn't have guessed that." Lev shyly chuckles under his breath.

"Why's he acting so coy for?" Kuroo says through clench teeth. Kozume gently pats Kuroo's back to calm him down.

"I get that a lot, so it's understandable." Lev smiles at you.

"My ass. Who's called him a third year?" Kuroo's voice is a bit louder and he quickly covers his mouth when he realizes. You weren't sure if you heard Kuroo earlier but now you are certain. "Excuse me Haiba." You walk past him, turning towards the aisle where you heard Kuroo's voice. You cross your arms when you see Kuroo squatting down in the aisle. But what surprises you more is seeing Kozume also squatting next to him. Narrowing your eyes, you glare at the two. "What are you two doing?"

Kuroo stands upright and crosses his arms at you. "What are you doing, Y/N?" Kuroo repeats your question back at you. Lev walks over next to you and notices Kuroo and Kozume. "Oh, Kuroo and Kozume! You two are here too?" Lev innocently smiles. Kuroo flicks his eyes away from you briefly to look at Lev. "Why are you flirting with Y/N?"

"F-Flirting? I was not." Lev quickly denies Kuroo's statement. "Hey, don't try changing the subject." You speak towards Kuroo. Kuroo returns his gaze on you, his mouth is open but no words leave them. Kozume stands next to Kuroo. "I was worried about you so Kuroo came along with me." Kozume's voice catches everyone's attention and your glare relaxes. You look at Kozume blankly.

_Kozume was worried about you?_

"He's lying." Kuroo steps in front of you, blocking your view of Kozume. "He came along with me because he knew I was worried about you." You narrow your eyes on Kuroo again, taking a step back from him. "I'll keep playing this tag game with you Y/N until you give in and trust me." You grow nervous when his tall frame hovers over your small one. Lev eyes the two of you with a curious expression. Unable to form words, you walk away from Kuroo, a distant look clouds over your face when you bite your lower lip. You feel irritated from Kuroo. His words wavering your heart slightly.


	7. Kuroo is a man

You're unsure how the situation ended up like this. Kozume and Kuroo are both walking you back home after your purchases from the convenience store. Neither of them saying a word behind you. You try to pretend the two aren't behind you and take in the night sights of Tokyo. The streets are crowded with a vast amount of people varying from different age ranges. Many adults seem to be heading home after work or entering a bar to wind down. A few high schoolers out with their friends. Families with grocery bags, probably for tonight's dinner. There is a lot going on for you to take in. 

But you don't linger around in the busy streets for long. You take the turn towards your neighborhood and the bustling sounds of the city seems to fade into nonexistence. Only the faint car horns remind you that you're not in the countryside. You inhale the cool summer night air and turn your attention up to the sky. Your footsteps slow down to a halt when you notice there's not a single star in the midnight sky. Kuroo and Kozume slow their steps when they see Y/L/N stop. Kuroo raises an eyebrow and looks up to see what she's staring at. Kozume keeps his eyes on her back. "What are you looking at Y/N?" Kuroo cuts the silence between the three of you. 

"There's no stars in Tokyo." You answer him, your eyes still upwards. Kozume then looks up and also notices. He usually doesn't bother with simple things like this. His eyes are usually glued to a screen of some sort. "It's a bit lonely..." Your words are isolated. Lowering your head, you continue back towards your house, noticing the outside light is on. A smile graces your face when you realize that your dad is back from work. You quicken your pace, practically running. Kuroo and Kozume both lower their eyes from the sky to see Y/L/N already running across the street. 

"How is she so fast? I didn't even hear her run." Kuroo widens his eyes, hurrying to follow after her. Kozume idles for a bit, staring at Y/L/N with his cat like eyes. His impression of her constantly changes today. 

Inserting the house key, you twist the doorknob open. You see your dad just settling his things down on top of the boxes laid out in the living room. "Dad!" You call out to him, hugging him from behind. Kuroo stops at your front door and Kozume catches up next to him. Dad startles when he feels your warmth, a gentle smile forms on his face. "Hey sweetie. I was wondering where you went off to." You release your hold on him and raise two plastic bags. "I went to get us dinner." Your dad eyes the bags and smiles, his large hand ruffles your hair. "Sorry for making you go out. I'll be sure to go to the market tomorrow. How was school?" 

You lie to him. "It went well." 

"Because I was there." Kuroo brings attention to himself and you notice the door didn't close all the way. Dad looks past you and grins when he see's Kuroo and Kozume. "Oh, sorry for not realizing you Kuroo, Kozume." Dad walks over to the two and greets them. You bite your lower lip, narrowing your eyes on Kuroo again. "So the three of you see each other at school too? How did Y/N do on her first day?" Kuroo looks over at you, unsure how to reply. You lower your eyes, you didn't want to worry your dad with how things went today. 

"Y/L/N and I share the same classes. We actually sit next to each other." Kozume quietly speaks up behind Kuroo. "Oh? Then can I trouble you to be friends with her? I know she's a bit stubborn and mouthy but I promise you she's a sweet girl." Dad speaks fondly of you and a frown forms on your face when you hear him. Kozume notices your pained expression when he looks past your dad towards you. Kuroo looks away from you and over to your dad, changing the topic. "Mr. Y/L/N I told my grandparents that you moved in yesterday and they'd like the two of you to come by whenever you're free." Dad looks over to Kuroo and nods his head with a grin. "I'm free this weekend. Please tell them I said hi." Kuroo nods his head and glances at his watch. "We should head back home. Have a good night sir." Kozume and Kuroo both bow to your dad. 

"Y/N make sure to say bye to these two." Your dad turns his attention to you and you raise a hand up, silently waving to the two. Even though Kuroo knows Y/N's only waving because of her dad, seeing her see him off makes him smile. Kozume also raises his hand and mimics Y/L/N's wave. Dad wishes them a good night before closing the door. He returns his gaze on you with a gentle smile. "I'm happy there's someone here for you in Tokyo, Y/N." You raise an eyebrow, listening to your dad when he grabs the bags out of your hand. "It pained me when you were at home all by yourself at the old house...but fate somehow brought Kuroo back to you. You two were inseparable back then." Dad lets out a low chuckle. The two of you sit down on the floor while your dad takes everything out of the bag. 

"Aren't you happy to see Kuroo again?" Dad hands you a milk tea. Your eyes lower to the jacket that's draped around you. The faint earthy woody scent wraps around you. You crack open the milk tea can and take a sip, unsure how to reply to your dads question. The two of you eat in comfortable silence and after cleaning up your mess, you head upstairs. You walk over to your bed and lean yourself down against the soft mattress. Your eyes flick up towards the white ceiling. You recall the events of today, slowly closing your eyes. Kuroo's face appears in the darkness of your mind. 

_He's just as stubborn as you are._

Every time you pulled away, he stepped forward. You hated how persistent he is. You feared that if you let him in, he would magically disappear again. Eight years the two of you grew up into the people you are today. Kuroo changed into a more outspoken person while you changed into someone who kept their distance. The times you would speak out is when something irritated you and the words that escaped your lips were never worded beautifully. You faked this false confidence to hide your vulnerability. But that confidence only leads you to trouble. You've experienced it twice in one day today. 

The eerie feeling of someone touching you returns and you wince. You try to run away from the vision by thinking of something else. Your mind pulls you towards the moment Kuroo held you in his arms the remainder of the train ride. Fear wrecked havoc in your mind but you felt safe in Kuroo's arms. He isn't the same little boy you played with in your younger years. You pull his jacket closer to you. 

_Kuroo is a man now._


	8. Mother's poetry book

Your commute to school was full of paranoia when you rode the train alone in the morning. Thankfully, you arrived early to avoid the morning rush. Keeping your head down, you walk past the school gates. With some time to kill you decide to spend your morning in the courtyard, settling yourself in one of the picnic benches. Placing your backpack on the table, you unzip your bag open and pull out a book. The book is a collection of poems that your mother read to you when you were younger. You stumbled upon the book yesterday when you were unpacking. You feel the sun rays warm your back, your eyes darting left and right as you read. 

**To hate is an easy lazy thing**

**But to love takes strength**

**Everyone has**

**But not all are willing to practice**

**\- Rupi Kaur**

This poem specifically calls out to you and you continue to reread it over and over. Your lips press together and your brows knit together in irritation. You close the book shut, running your fingers through your hair. You decide to make your way to class, throwing your backpack over one shoulder. Several students start to enter the school courtyard and you're careful to not brush up against anyone. A familiar group of guys enter the courtyard and they notice you alone. "The ice princess is by herself. Should I get my revenge?" The guy you annoyed yesterday mutters to his friends. Being the idiots they are, they hype their friend up. "I'll be right back." He forms a lopsided smirk, quickening his pace. 

You feel goosebumps run down your spine and a quick presence charging from behind you. Your reflexes makes you turn around but you didn't expect the person to snag the book you're holding out of your grasp. A piercing glare forms on your face when you turn to stare at the attacker. You mentally groan when you see the guy from yesterday in front of you. He cockily grins at you, raising the book up beside him. "What is this? A diary of yours?" He laughs obnoxiously. "Idiot, if you can read you could tell it's a poetry book." You stand your ground. 

He tilts his head, looking at the book much closer. "Who reads poetry for fun?" He scoffs, flipping through the book. "Obviously not someone as arrogant as you." You step forward trying to snatch your mother's poetry book back. Your words easily anger him when he flicks his eyes over to you, his face scrunching together. "Honestly your beauty is wasted." He clicks his tongue, wiggling the book in his hand. "You humiliated me yesterday in front of everyone. You know that?" You laugh at him and raise your eyebrows. "Okay, and?" 

He fumes from your attitude, opening the book up. "So I'm going to get revenge." You watch him place a hand on several of the pages. Your eyes widening when you realize what he plans to do. "STOP. Don't you dare." You yell out to him, attempting to snatch the book away from him. An evil smile etches on the students face when he rips a page out. You feel your heart drop in your chest from the sound of paper ripping. "What's so special about this book anyway? Just buy a new one." He rips another page in front of your paralyzed body. 

_Mother._

_It didn't matter if you could just buy another copy of the book. That one specifically belonged to your mother._

Your hands tremble and you hold back the tears that form in the corner of your eyes. Clasping your hands into fists, you scream out at the male student. He startles when he sees the dark hollow look in your eyes. "Do you enjoy seeing others hurt?" You shout towards him, running full force towards your classmate. He tenses when run over to him. You snatch the book out of his hand and slap the book across his face. A few onlookers gasp from the loud sound and his friends quickly run over to his side. A few of them ready a stance as if they're going to fight you. "Do it. I dare you cowards to try and hit me!" 

"No one's going to protect you Y/L/N!" One of the guys stammer out. 

"I know that! You can't trust anyone but yourself, fucking idiots." Your loud voice echoes in your ear. 

"J-Just leave her alone guys." The student you slapped pleads to his friends. "She's obviously mental." 

"Mental?" You tilt your head to the side, taking a step towards the group. "Y/N!" A booming voice calls your name from behind you. You don't turn around when the group of guys look over. They stiffen when they see Kuroo running towards you. You snatch the ripped papers up from under you and turn around. "What's going on?" Kuroo darts his eyes from the group behind you and then to you. "Nothing. I handled it myself." You bluntly answer, walking past him. Your adrenaline dissipates and you feel tingles run throughout your body. Kuroo glares at the group of guys in front of him. 

"I swear to god if you guys fucking did something to her, you're going to pay for it." Kuroo speaks to them in a low tone. His hazel eyes staring directly at each and every single one of the male students. You clutch the book close to your chest and quickly leave the courtyard. You didn't notice Kozume standing by the courtyard entrance. He takes one of his ear phones out when he spots you. "Y/L/N?" He whispers under his breath, following her with his cat like golden eyes. He wondered where Kuroo ran to but instead he sees Y/L/N running somewhere. 

From your rush to escape the courtyard you don't notice one of the papers slip out of your hands. Kozume quietly walks over to pick up one of the ripped pages. He quietly reads the page.

**Nothing is safer**

**Than the sound of you**

**Reading out loud to me**

**\- Rupi Kaur**

"Kenma! Did you see where Y/N ran off to?" Kuroo pulls Kozume's attention away from the paper. "She ran past me. Did something happen?" Kozume asks, lowering the page he picked up to his side. "Some guys were bullying her." Kuroo clicks his tongue in frustration. Kozume recalls yesterdays scenario in the classroom. It has to be the same group of guys that Kuroo is mentioning. "Can you help me find her? Call me if you see her." Kuroo dashes away before Kozume can say a word. Kozume let's out a low groan. "I miss when things were calm." Slowly he raises the ripped page up to his eyes. "Where would you run off to?"

Kozume quietly thinks to himself. Y/L/N only arrived to school yesterday so he doubt she knew where to run to. The only places she'll most likely go will be places she knows how to get to. "Will she be in the classroom?" Kozume murmurs under his breath. He pulls out his phone from his pocket and sees that homeroom won't start for another 20 minutes. The classroom would be empty right now. Kozume settles on his theory, sending Kuroo a quick text before and making his way to the classroom. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Your fingers tremble while you tape the pages of the poetry book back. Tears drip down from your eyes and onto the desk. You stare at the ripped pages with heart ache. A few tears sprinkle onto the page you just taped. You lower your face into your arms on the desk and cry out. "I'm sorry." You whimper to no one. Your shoulders tremble when you try to hold back from crying uncontrollably. The sound of the classroom door slides open and you don't bother to look up. At this point you could care less what everyone thinks about you. 

_An ice princess. A wasted pretty face. Mental. Whatever._

Quiet footsteps walk over to you and you feel them stand beside you. Kozume stands there, unsure what to do. He notices Y/L/N's trembling body and he mentally panics. He's never dealt with someone other than Kuroo and a few members of the volleyball team. None of them are girls. Kozume presses his lips together, praying Kuroo will hurry and show up. "Y/L/N." Kozume's low voice calls out to Y/L/N. 

When you hear Kozume's voice, you slowly raise your head up.

Kozume falters slightly when he sees Y/L/N's flushed face and glossy eyes. Her tear stained face makes him widen his eyes briefly. Kozume feels his chest tighten when he sees her vulnerable. 

"Y/N!" Kuroo's panicked scream pulls the two of you away from staring at each other. Kuroo lunges past a few desks and stops in front of yours. You quickly wipe your tears away, trying to build a wall quickly in front of Kuroo. "Hey, you're crying!" Kuroo squats down so his eyes are matching yours. "Shut up." You whimper out, clearing your throat. "Tell me what those guys did to you." Kuroo knits his brows together, grumbling at you. "I told you I handled it." You answer him with a glare. Kuroo's eyes fall to your desk and he sees several pages messily ripped. "Did they do this?" Kuroo softens his voice and you lower your head, unable to back talk to Kuroo. 

"What is all this?" Kuroo extends his hand towards the book and you panic, pulling the book close to you. Kuroo freezes when he sees the sorrowful look in your eyes. "I can just buy you another one like this Y/N." 

"You can't." You sharply say. Lowering the book back to your desk, you flip open the book cover. 

**"I hope you learn many things about yourself when you're able to understand the meaning of these poems. - Mother"**

Your mother wrote you this personal message. 

Kuroo softens his eyes when he sees your mothers hand writing. Kozume reads the message beside you, his lips pressing together. "So this book belonged to your mother?" Kuroo looks over to you and you nod. "You could buy me all the copies in the world but it wouldn't be able to replace this one." Your words tremble from your lips. Hot tears slide down your face again when you read her message. Sniffling, you wipe the never ending tears from your face. Kuroo looks at Y/N in defeat. He physically couldn't help her. Kozume extends his hand towards the book and places one of the pages down in front of you. You stare at the page that Kozume's given you. 

**Nothing is safer**

**Than the sound of you**

**Reading out loud to me**

**\- Rupi Kaur**

You squeeze your eyes shut and wrap your arms around yourself. Biting your lower lip, you hold back your sobs. Faintly you can hear your mothers voice but you're starting to forget how she sounds. Through your sniffles and soft sobs, you lower your head, lowering your arms to your sides. "I miss you mom." You gasp out, digging your fingernails into your palms. Kuroo and Kozume both silently look at Y/L/N, both wearing a frown. They didn't know what to do to make her feel better.


	9. Pity & Kisses

After your meltdown from this morning, the remainder of your morning classes goes by in a blur. Your mind elsewhere while you pretend to pay attention in class. You feel your eyes swell throughout the day and a few curious eyes stare at you. "I'd like you guys to partner up and continue where you left off in your English textbooks." A groan escapes you, your fingers run through your hair. 

_Partner up?_

You hate the thought.

The sound of a table squeaking over to your left pulls your attention. Kozume grabs his chair and sits next to you. Quietly, Kozume places his English textbook between the two of you. "Did Kozume volunteer himself to Y/L/N?" A girl whispers to her friend. "Damn it, I was hoping to read with Kozume." Another girl pouts. "She already has Kuroo's attention and now she has Kozume's? What do they see in her." Your hands tighten into fists and Kozume's low voice stops you.

"Y/L/N." 

You avert your gaze away from the girls and look at Kozume. He raises a folder and props it up in front of you. "Lay your head down." Your brows knit together and you tilt your head. "What?" Kozume doesn't repeat himself and for some reason you listen to him. His golden eyes and deadpan expression is just as effective as your glares to others. You rest your chin on your arm and stare at the folder in front of you. "Now they can't see you and you can't see them. Problem solved." Kozume mumbles under his breath. Kozume rests his head on his knuckles, elbow propped up on his desk.

You're taken aback when you hear Kozume speak beside you. 

_Kozume is helping you in his own way._

Slowly, you turn to look at Kozume, your cheek now resting on your arm. Your lip twitches slightly when you see the way Kozume looks at you. You can't seem to read his expression. You realize how easily you're showing your emotions to Kozume and fear clouds over you. Averting your gaze, you stare at the book in front of you. 

"Why do you try so hard to keep your distance?" Kozume carefully asks you. You don't look up at Kozume, feeling your chest tighten. "None of your business." You curtly respond back. Kozume presses his lips together, a soft sigh escaping his lips. Something about the way Y/L/N holds herself reminds him of himself. But at the same time, she's different. The both of them give off a cold impression which makes the two unapproachable. Kozume holds a deadpan expression while Y/L/N holds a piercing glare to strangers. 

The difference between the two is that Y/L/N voiced her opinions. She also don't seem to make herself less noticeable compared to him. 

Kozume wonders what Kuroo sees in Y/L/N. It's only been three days since Kozume has met her and his life has been flipped upside down. He's sticking out more to protect her and he's speaking up more. All this energy being pulled out of him drains him and he's not enjoying it. But she is important to Kuroo so Kozume feel's like he has to do this. 

_Isn't this called pity though?_

Kozume thinks to himself. That mental question sounds so harsh. 

You notice the slight twitch of Kozume's eyebrows. He seems irritated at whatever he's thinking about. The last conversation between you two was about you. You come to the conclusion that you are bothering him. A sharp pain cuts through you. Kozume was probably only being nice to you as of late because you're someone important to Kuroo. You didn't want Kozume's help if it was pity. Whether or not if you are right or wrong about Kozume, you decide to take things into your own hands. Your hand pushes the English book back towards Kozume and you close the folder in front of you. Lifting your head up, you place his folder back on his desk. 

"I don't need your pity Kozume." You say to him. 

Kozume looks at the book and folder that's on his desk. He looks over to you with his trademark deadpan expression. You can see it in his eyes, _'how did she know what I was thinking?'._ You get up from your seat and walk down the aisle towards your teachers desk. "Miss, can I go to the library to check out an English book?" Your teacher raises her head up from her paperwork. "Did Kozume forget his book?" Pressing your lips together you shake your head. "I'd just prefer to read alone." 

"Well...you do need an English book for the remainder of the year, so go ahead." You bow to her before walking out of the classroom. Kozume watches Y/L/N leave in silence. His inner emotions are conflicted. 

_How did Y/L/N get a read on him quicker than he did?_

_Kozume's analysis on others are usually spot on but...why is Y/L/N difficult to read?_

The girl student from earlier notices Y/L/N's disappearance and quickly sits in her seat. "Do you need a reading partner Kozume?" The girl smiles from ear to ear. Kozume ignores her, turning his eyes towards his open book. 

_Should he go after Y/L/N?_

_But that'd only make things worse. What she said isn't wrong._

Kozume's only been helping Y/L/N for Kuroo. To be honest he'd much rather Kuroo stay his friend only. Kozume mentally sighs. He is afraid of Kuroo's reaction when he finds out the situation between Y/L/N and him. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

When you step out of the second year wing, you lean your back against the wall. Biting your lower lip and digging your fingernails into your palm. Your eyes stare at the ground under your feet. Tears drop from your wavering eyes. You start to question if Kuroo's actions are genuine. 

_Did he really want you to lean on him because he valued your childhood friendship or does he feel guilty for leaving you behind eight years ago?_

A frown etches onto your face and your nose starts to redden. You feel your nostrils clog and the tears stinging your face. A pair of shoes appears in front of you and you're afraid to look up. You didn't have the strength to be confident. "Y/L/N, I'll take you to the library. You don't know where it is, right?" Kozume's voice speaks above you. 

_What is he doing here? Did he feel guilty?_

"I don't need your help Kozume. If you're here because you feel guilty then please leave me alone." Kozume stares at your tears trickling down your face. "I'm here to help the new transfer student find her way to the library. That's all." Kozume quietly says to you. "I'll go back to class after that." Kozume walks past you, his hands in his pockets. You slowly raise your head and stare at Kozume's back. Your fingers wipe the tears away from your face. You follow behind Kozume with a fair distance between the two of you. Kozume leads you around the huge campus and stops in front of a building with a sign that reads 'library'. 

When you see the library in front of you, Kozume takes his leave. His eyes avoiding yours when he walks away. You open the glass door in front of you and enter the library. Nervously, you walk over to the front desk, keeping your voice down when you see a class sitting in the computer area. A middle aged woman smiles at you when she sees you. "How may I help you, dear?" 

"I need to borrow an English book." You reply to her, fluttering away the last few tears in your eyes. 

"Can I ask what year you're in?"

"Second." 

"Alright, here is the aisle where the book is. Just bring it back up here and I'll scan it out under your name." The librarian hands you a slip of paper and greets you off with a gentle smile. You thank her with a bow and glance at the aisle number. 

**'12. Section 3.'**

You quietly walk past the class by the computers and make your way down the narrow aisles of book shelves. You try to find a sign of some sort that labels each row. "Y/N!!" Someone whispers your name loudly from one end of the aisle you currently are in. Your eyes flick over and you see Kuroo, he waves at you. Pressing your lips together, you flutter your eyelashes. 

_Was it a coincidence that Kuroo's class is in here?_

You look away, walking down past three aisles before turning into the next aisle. Kuroo's long legs easily slides over to the same aisle you're in. Unluckily, the aisle you're in is aisle 12. You ignore Kuroo who waves his hands frantically to get your attention. You slowly scan the shelves, inching to the left while Kuroo closes his distance on you. "You're so stubborn." Kuroo sulks, looking down at you. He notices your red nose and swollen eyes. His cheerful tone changes when he's noticed you've cried again. You extend your arm up to grab the English book and Kuroo places his hand over your extended one. Knitting your brows together you flick your eyes over to him. Kuroo leans his face close to yours. 

"Did you cry again?" His voice husky in your ear. Your chest tightens when you notice how close he is to you. You try to pull your hand back but Kuroo holds your hand in place. "Why does it matter to you. Go back to your class Tetsurō." You reply sharply. Kuroo clenches his teeth, tightening his hold on your hand. You wince. "Stop, treating me like this Y/N. Haven't I shown you enough proof that I care about you?" Kuroo whisper yells at you. You shoot Kuroo a piercing gaze. "How can I tell if you're not pitying me like Kozume is?" Your voice trembles when you speak to him.

Kuroo's hand loosens and you pull away from him, stepping back. His eyes stare at you confused. "What? Kozume is helping you because he also cares." 

"Kozume is only helping me because I'm important to you. Why would he help someone he's only met for three days?" Kuroo lowers his eyes, processing your words. "He's your best friend, right? Does Kozume usually behave like this?" You ask Kuroo a question that you already know the answer to. 

_Kozume wouldn't. That was the truth._

Kuroo hesitates to answer you. "You can't answer me because I'm right." You hold back the frown that wants to tug on your lips. "Whatever Kozume's reasons are, I don't care. I just want you to know that I genuinely care about you." Kuroo raises his eyes back to you, a serious stare fills your vision. "I don't want to hear false words Tetsurō." 

"Fine, I'll show it to you. Is that what you want Y/N?" Kuroo snaps. You watch him close the distance between the two of you, both of his hands grab onto your wrists. The English book easily falls to the floor when you feel your back press against a bookshelf. You start to squirm but Kuroo presses his body against yours. "Tetsurō!" You raise your voice slightly. 

"You made me do this. So you have no one else to blame but yourself Y/N." A gleam flickers over Kuroo's hazel eyes when you glare at him. You're unable to retort when Kuroo presses his lips against yours. The glare you hold, softens. The sadness that clouded you earlier is replaced with warmth and confusion. Kuroo pulls his lips away, his hazel eyes staring at you. "I couldn't tell you eight years ago when we were kids but I can tell you this now. Y/N you were my first love." You stay silent, listening to Kuroo's low tone. "Seeing you again stirred those emotions back..." Kuroo pauses, resting his forehead against yours. "I'm okay if you don't return my feelings. I only ask you to let me make up the eight years I've lost with you." You knit your brows together, unsure what Kuroo is saying. 

"It's not that easy Tetsurō." 

"I know." Kuroo places another kiss on your lips again, your breath hitches. "That's why I'll continue to fight my way with you until you break your walls down for me." 


	10. Like or Dislike

Kuroo walks you back to the front desk and you hand the librarian your English textbook. "Oh, did you help her find it Kuroo?" The librarian smiles when she looks over to Kuroo. "Yeah. I'll be returning back to my seat now." Kuroo smiles at the librarian. He waves goodbye to you and returns to one of the computers sitting on the right corner of the library.

"What's your name, dear?" You give your name to the librarian and she glides her fingers across the keyboard. With a few clicks from her mouse, she hands the book over to you. "You're all set to go, Y/L/N." You thank her and leave through the same door you entered. Feeling the fresh air of the outdoors washes away your tense muscles from earlier. Your face flushes when you think about Kuroo's lips. You grip tightly onto your textbook.

**Kuroo admitted to liking you when you were kids.**

_But what about now?_

  
_Is he loosely kissing you because he couldn't back then?_

  
_What would that be considered?_

  
_Friends with benefits?_

You have no intention of having such a relationship with Kuroo. Shaking your head, you walk away from the library building. You can faintly remember all the twists and turns Kozume took you. Turning the corner you nearly crash into someone. The very person who you didn't feel comfortable around. Kozume raises his eyes up from his phone. He straightens himself off of the wall and looks at you. "What are you doing here?" You stare at Kozume with your best deadpan expression. Kozume answers you with silence. Taking in his silence, you walk past him.

"Y/L/N." You notice a slight serious edge to Kozume's voice. Halting your footsteps, you stand still. Kozume's footsteps replace the silence between the two of you. He walks over to you, standing in front of you. Kozume's golden cat like eyes rests on your face. He takes a long look at you which makes you uncomfortable. Your eyes start to narrow on Kozume. It feels like you're being analyzed by him. His eyes flick towards your narrowed eyes and then towards your hands that clench onto the book. "I can't get a read on you." Kozume mumbles under his breath. "One moment you drop your guard down for me and the next you're distant. But towards Kuroo you're always on high alert." Kozume pauses, thinking about his next words. "You were polite to Lev but snarky towards those group of guys in our class. The only thing that stays consistent for the most part is your distrust in others."

You take a step back from Kozume. "Well, one moment I think you're kind and helpful but you were only pitying me. I guess we both don't understand each other."

"I just want to know why Kuroo likes you so much." You furrow your brows together. "Why?" Kozume hesitates to speak and you watch his lips barely part. Kozume hides his hands in his pockets, not allowing you to see if he's clenching his hands. "Because I don't know if I like or dislike you." Kozume's honesty makes you falter slightly. The glare you hold on him, loosens. "Kuroo is my only friend." Kozume sternly says those words towards you. You notice the way Kozume's tone switches. The familiar tone you received the first day you met Kozume.

_Is Kozume afraid you'll take Kuroo away from him?_

You feel that the roles are actually reversed. Kozume is the one who took your best friend away. But small details like that didn't affect you anymore. What's in the past stays in the past. "Then you should be careful of your actions." You coldly say to Kozume, stepping to the side to walk past him. You stop by his ear. "I'd also appreciate it if you don't assess me like I'm some kind of boss battle that you have to defeat." Kozume slowly turns to look at you, your glare on him surprises him. "I'm not a game Kozume Kenma." You watch Kozume's golden eyes widen.

"I'll be sure to not cause you unnecessary trouble from now on. Keep to yourself. That's the kind of guy you are anyway, right?" Your distant voice stabs through Kozume's chest. Kozume watches Y/L/N's small frame walk away from him. "How'd she know that?" Kozume has trouble reading Y/L/N but she easily reads him within the small time frame of the two meeting.

Maybe he's the one that's easily readable. Kozume silently heads back to class, the two separated by a large gap.


	11. Kozume's Outburst

Lunch time rolls around and everyone gets out of their seats, rushing towards the door to go where ever they are going. Y/L/N stays in her seat, her head still resting on her arm. Kozume quietly stands up and notices she's fallen asleep. His golden eyes scan the room. 

No one's in here. 

_She'll be fine._

Kozume walks past her, not wanting to give her any further pity than he already has. He takes his usual route to the courtyard to meet up with Kuroo for lunch. Something bothers Kozume about leaving her alone in the classroom though. Kuroo left Y/L/N in his care. Groaning under his breath he ignores the thought. Kuroo and Lev are already at the usual picnic table. The two already loudly speaking to each other. 

"So Y/L/N is your childhood friend? That must be fate for you guys to meet each other like this." Lev says with sparkling eyes. "Huh, I guess it does look like that." Kuroo grins widely. Kozume silently sits down next to Kuroo. "Oh there you are Kenma!" Kuroo's loud voice booms in Kozume's left ear. "Where's Y/N?" Kozume turns his expressionless eyes towards Kuroo. "She's asleep in class." Kuroo makes an uncertain face. "Should I go wake her up? What if someone messes with her?" Kuroo stands himself up and Kozume grips onto Kuroo's wrist. Lev raises an eyebrow when he looks at Kozume. 

"Why do you like her so much Kuroo." Kozume never received an answer from Y/L/N so he decides to ask the main source. "I told you Kenma. She was my first love." Lev blushes, covering his mouth from a squeal. 

"Was." Kozume puts emphasis to the word. Kuroo narrows his eyes on Kozume, slowly sitting back down. "What's gotten into you Kenma? Y/N told me something strange earlier at the library." Kozume stiffens a bit. 

_Those two saw each other at the library?_

"She said you are pitying her." Kuroo's voice is low and serious. "That you're only helping her because of me. Is she right?" Kozume releases his hold on Kuroo's wrist, words escape him. Lev quietly watches this whole ordeal unravel before him. "Kuro answer my question first." 

"I did." 

"I need you to tell me in detail why she's so important to you." 

"Why?" Kuroo raises his voice. "Because I'm afraid she'll take my best friend away!" Kozume blurts out, his eyes waver when he looks at Kuroo. Both Kuroo and Lev are speechless from Kozume's outburst. Neither of them have heard Kozume raise his voice like this. A dry chuckle escapes from Kuroo's lips, his hand ruffling his messy black hair. "Are you jealous of Y/N, Kenma?" Kuroo looks directly into Kozume's eyes.

_Is that what Kozume's feeling? Jealousy?_

Kuroo's question is met with silence. "No, I don't think that's the correct word for what I'm feeling." Kozume speaks up. "I'm scared Y/L/N will take the only friendship I have away from me." Kuroo's lips fall into a frown, he places his hand on Kozume's shoulder. "That's not going to happen Kenma. I'll always be your friend. But if you're going to pity Y/N...I'd like it if you didn't speak to her at all. You'll hurt her and in turn that is hurting me." Kozume stiffens under Kuroo's hand. "To answer your previous question. Y/N was never like the person she pretends to be right now. The girl I remembered was so full of life. She was my superhero." A gentle smile inches it's way onto Kuroo's face. 

"I was always a quiet kid but she would try her best to pull out my loud side. We'd spend every morning and night together since my dad was never around. Her parents took care of me as if I was one of their own. Y/N made sure I was never alone. At times I wondered why she was trying so hard for me." Kuroo exhales, looking up at the sky with a warm smile. "Because that's what friends do." Kuroo looks over at Kozume. "That's what she told me. So now that she's the one that needs help, I'm going to make sure I return her kindness tenfold. I'd also like to see the girl I fell in love with so many years ago be happy again." Kuroo takes a breath before continuing, "Y/N has no one Kozume. I want to be that somebody for her." 

Kuroo glances away. "You can be that somebody too if you want. But only on your own terms and not mine. Who knows, maybe Y/N is someone you also need in your life. You can have more than one friend Kozume." Kozume quietly takes in everything Kuroo is spilling out. 

_Y/L/N is someone Kuroo thinks he would need in his life?_

Kozume is content with Kuroo though. He didn't care if someone else tried to be his friend. "C-Can I also be her friend then?" Lev who quietly listened to the entire conversation, speaks up. Kuroo narrows his eyes on Lev and shakes his head. "No. You'll try to make her your girlfriend. I'm not letting that happen."

"W-WHAT?! I wouldn't do such a thing! Besides, who are you to say who could be her boyfriend. You don't have feelings for her anymore." 

"Because as her childhood friend, I have seniority." 

"That sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me Kuroo." Lev scoffs, crossing his arms. "Because it is." Kuroo bursts into laughter. "I just don't want her to date an idiot like you." Lev and Kuroo bicker among each other while Kozume is still in deep thought. 

_Should he try to start over with Y/L/N?_

It's not like he could avoid her. They shared the same class and sat next to each other. They also live in the same neighborhood and he'll see her frequently because of Kuroo. Getting annoyed, Kozume sighs. His fingers slowly run through his hair. Kuroo and Lev notice Kozume showing more emotion than usual. "God this is annoying. I hate this." Kozume grumbles under his breath. "What is?" Kuroo eyes Kozume's frustrated face. 

"Y/L/N is making me do things I hate." 

"Making you?" Kuroo tilts his head. "She's not here to make you do anything." 

"Exactly. She's not." Kozume stands up. "I just feel like she's mentally making me do things."

"Where are you going?" Kuroo looks up at Kozume. "Y/L/N." Kozume presses his lips together. "She's probably lonely." Kozume quickly walks away and a small smile forms on Kuroo's lips. "Is Kozume evolving?" Lev speaks towards Kuroo. Kuroo knits his brows together. "Evolving? Kenma isn't some character in a game you idiot. He's changing." 

"Yeah, that's also called evolving." Lev rolls his eyes. "Are you forgetting who you are talking to Lev?" Kuroo flashes a devilish smirk on his face and Lev quickly apologizes. Kozume goes from speed walking to running when he reenters the second year wing. He hurries down the hallway and turns towards the classroom. His chest heaves up and down when he see's Y/L/N by herself. 

_She looks heartbroken._

Her eyes focus on taping the pages of the book from earlier this morning. Seeing her makes Kozume's chest tighten. Her words from earlier screams in his head. 

_"Keep to yourself. That's the kind of guy you are anyway, right?"_

A needle pokes him in the chest when he remembers her cruel tone. But her words are true. Kozume usually keeps to himself and he doesn't go out of his way for others often. But he also knows the feeling of loneliness better than anyone else. Taking a step forward, Kozume braces himself. He's unsure how she'll react to him. 

You hear someone enter the classroom but you focus on taping the last few pages down in the book. Kozume stops in front of your desk, his hand gently rests on the page you're taping. 

**Your name is**

**The strongest**

**Positive and negative**

**Connotation in any language**

**It lights me up or**

**Leaves me aching for days**

**\- Rupi Kuar**

Raising your eyes, you see Kozume. Your eyes are quick to glare and your lips tremble. Kozume easily notices Y/L/N's walls building in front of her. "Y/L/N, can we start over?" Kozume whispers into the quiet classroom. "From square one, I'd like to introduce myself to you again. This time with no strings attached." Your glare softens from Kozume's serious golden eyes. He takes your silence as a sign for him to continue. 

"My name is Kozume Kenma. Your classmate." Kozume closes his mouth but opens it again. "I hope we can be friends." 


	12. Sudden change

Kozume stands there patiently waiting for you to say something. You knit your brows together, unsure what Kozume is thinking about. "Why the sudden change?" You bluntly ask him. Kozume pulls his hand away from the book and scratches the back of his head. His eyes averting from your gaze. "If it's because of Kuroo..." Your words fade into silence. 

"It's not." Kozume is quick to shut your lingering thoughts down. He bites his bottom lip, starting to feel annoyed again. "I can't really explain myself. I don't know the correct words to tell you. I also don't know how to show you how I'm feeling." You've never heard Kozume speak so many words all at once before. He huffs under his breath, squatting down in front of you so your eyes are at the same level. "Ever since you appeared, I've been doing a lot of things I wouldn't. It's tiring." Kozume speaks softly. You hold back a frown, your eyes steady on Kozume's golden ones. 

"No one told you to do anything, Kozume." 

"I know. My intentions weren't pretty in the beginning and you even called me out for it." The two of you grow quiet. "I don't know where this conversation is going Kozume." 

"I want you to give me a second chance. I want to see this superhero Kuroo sees." You tilt your head, confused. "Superhero?" You say that word slowly. "Kuroo sees you as his superhero." You hold back a giggle, your eyes averting Kozume's. "He's an idiot." Y/L/N's tone is sweet and warm. A tone Kozume's never heard her used. He silently watches Y/L/N hide the smile on her face with her hand. Clearing your throat you look back at Kozume. "I'm sorry to let you down Kozume but...I don't plan to trust you so easily." 

"That's fine." Kozume stands up, walking over to his desk. He lifts his desk up and places it next to yours. You turn to look at Kozume who sits next to you, his hand reaches for your poetry book and the roll of tape. Extending your hand, you try to take your things back but Kozume turns his back to you. He holds onto your things on his lap. The sound of the tape fills the silence between you two. Pressing your lips together, you pull your hand back to your sides. You're unsure how to retort against Kozume. With Kuroo you'd just yell and glare. But with Kozume, you couldn't do that. Kozume wouldn't yell back at you if you yelled at him. "Shouldn't you be with the others?" You softly say next to Kozume, your eyes looking at the clock on the back wall. 

Kozume turns back to you, placing the book on his desk. He continues to tape the last two pages for you. "Did you want to be alone?" Surprised by his question, you slowly turn to look at Kozume. His hair falls over his face so you couldn't see his expression. Your hand clenches the ends of your skirt. 

_Personally, you didn't want to be alone. But you weren't going to admit that._

Kozume carefully closes the poetry book and slides it back towards you. "Kuroo and Lev won't miss me too much anyway. I never add anything to their conversation." Your eyes lower to the book in front of you. Your fingers gingerly lift the book up from the desk. Kozume silently looks at you. "You were close to your mom weren't you?" Kozume rests his cheek on his folded arms, looking up at you. Nodding your head, you place the book away in the desk cubby. You also lay your head down on your arms. Your eyes nervously looking over to Kozume.

"She was my only friend after Kuroo moved to Tokyo." A small smile forms on your face when you think of your mother. "She did everything she could as a mother to make sure I was fed and happy." Lowering your eyes, you look at your arm. The smile on your face falters and Kozume notices your eyes darken. "Y/L/N, you don't have to force yourself to talk about her." Kozume's low voice calls out to you. Closing your eyes, you see your mother. "I just miss her." Your lips tremble when you say those words aloud. Kozume mentally panics when he sees Y/L/N in pain. 

_What is the correct thing for him to do?_

He tries to think back to the way Kuroo cheers Y/L/N up. Kuroo's way seems aggressive. Something Kozume is not. A tear slides down your face and Kozume stiffens. You surprise yourself from your tears. 

_How many tears can your eyes form in a single day?_

Your fingers quickly wipe your falling tears away and you apologize to Kozume. You turn your face away from him, allowing yourself to frown without him seeing. Kozume nervously extends his hand towards Y/L/N. His hand trembles when her hair touches his finger tips. Gently, he places his hand on the back of Y/L/N's head. You tense up and widen your eyes. Kozume slowly strokes Y/L/N's hair, his heart hammering. He prays this is comforting her. If she turned around to yell at him, he wouldn't be surprised. But there is no yelling. 

Your eyes soften from Kozume's gentle approach. You struggle to hold back your tears, your hand clenching your arms. 

Kuroo and Lev silently watch the interaction from the classroom window. Lev blushes, his mouth covered by Kuroo's large palm. A warm smile grows on Kuroo's face when he looks at the two. "Looks like we had nothing to worry about Lev." Kuroo whispers, lowering his hand from Lev's mouth. "I didn't know Kenma could be so sweet." Lev mumbles over to Kuroo. "Neither did I." Kuroo chuckles, his eyes resting on Kozume's nervous face. Kuroo turns his back around and sighs. "Now I feel a bit lonely. I should go interrupt those two." Kuroo walks over to the door but Lev grabs hold of Kuroo's arm.

"What!? You can't do that! They're having a special moment!" Lev pulls Kuroo back but his efforts are useless. "That's exactly why I'm going to ruin it. I can't let Y/N's feelings waver for Kenma." Kuroo dramatically clenches his chest. "YOU DON'T WANT ANYONE TO BE WITH HER!" Lev yells out. 

Kozume and you both overhear a loud voice outside. The two of you lifting your heads up and eyeing the door. You can faintly see black spiky hair tips outside of the classroom door. "Tetsurō?" You murmur his name. Getting out of your seat, you walk over to the door. Kozume follows behind you. You cross your arms when you spot Kuroo and Lev bickering at each other. "What are you two doing here." Kuroo stiffens when he hears your voice. Lev slowly looks over Kuroo's shoulder and sees you glare at him. Kuroo twirls around and leans his face close to yours, his thumb gently grazes across your lips. 

"I missed you why else would I be here." Kuroo's husky breath and gleaming eyes on you makes you falter. You take a step back, trying your best to hold your stare on him. Lev grunts behind Kuroo. "H-How can you easily flirt like that." Extending your hand, you cover Kuroo's lips and push his face away. "Stop talking Tetsurō. I don't need more rumors of you and I in the same sentence." You furrow your brows together. Kuroo smiles, his lips press a gentle kiss on your palm. Your glare is replaced with surprise and you release a high pitch squeak. You pull your hand back, completely flustered. 

"What did he just do?" Kozume eyes your redden face. Lev also looks just as confused when he sees Kuroo flash a pleased smirk. "There's more where that came from." Kuroo smugly says aloud. Irritated, you walk away from Kuroo. Kozume and Lev glance over to Kuroo. "Did you lick her palm?" Lev curiously asks. Kozume holds back a disgusted face. Kuroo raises a finger up and wiggles it back and forth. "No, something much better." Kuroo cracks a grin. "I ki-" You return to Kuroo, throwing his jacket in his face. Kuroo pulls his jacket away from his face and narrows his eyes towards Y/L/N but she's not there. She's returned to her seat. 

"You ki...kissed her palm?" Lev connects the dots together. "OH MAN! I HAVE TO DO THAT FROM NOW ON." Kozume sighs. "You really shouldn't Lev. You saw how Y/L/N reacted. What girl would actually like that kind of response." Lev doesn't listen to Kozume, he's off to find someone to cover his mouth for him. Kuroo is also distracted. He sniffs his jacket and the faint smell of Y/L/N lingers. A smile creeps onto Kuroo's face when he inhales his jacket. "God..." Kozume walks away from Kuroo and returns to his seat beside Y/L/N. Kozume still sees the faint red glow on her cheeks when he quietly stares at Y/L/N. He mentally notes that her anger towards Kuroo is crumbling.

"Has...Has Tetsurō always acted like that towards other girls?" You nervously ask Kozume, turning to look at him. Kozume lowers his eyes, thinking. "He just likes to give lip service. I've never seen him actually be physical with anyone." You process Kozume's words.

_So Kuroo is all talk and no action?_

"But I doubt Kuroo would tell me if he did get physical with someone." Kozume mutters under his breath. Your shoulders droop when you overhear Kozume. A sigh leaves your lips and you hide your face in your arms. You weren't sure where you stand in front of Kuroo. He kissed you twice today and even told you that he loved you when you two were kids. 

_Did he just see you as someone to mess with?_

If so, you'll have to be upfront with Kuroo about it. 

"Do you like Kuroo, Y/L/N?" Kozume's voice pulls you out of your mental war against Kuroo. You raise your head up and turn to look over at Kozume. "No. Not a single ounce of my heart sways for that idiot." Thinking about Kuroo only makes you more angry but your mind plays with you. You briefly remember his lips against yours in the library. Kozume watches Y/L/N's anger soften. "I just don't know where I stand in Tetsurō's eyes." Your voice barely a whisper. A frown etches on your face. You're starting to have a hard time faking in front of Kuroo. He's breaking down your walls in a matter of days. 


	13. Warmth over mind

The last few days of school surprisingly goes smoothly. You wake up from the sound of something hitting against your window. Groggily, you sit up from your bed and throw your blankets off of you. Rubbing your eyes you slowly walk over to your window, pulling the curtains aside. "Y/N!" The last voice you want to hear right now shouts to you when they see your sleepy presence. "Nope." You turn back around, running your fingers through your bed hair. "HEY. I SAW YOU JUST NOW." Kuroo shouts again. Groaning you walk back, lifting your window up. You lean out a little bit from the window. 

"What did I do to deserve this beautiful sight of you? You're at your most purest form." Kuroo showers you with compliments but you pretend to belch. "What are you doing in front of the yard Tetsurō?" You tiredly rub your eyes again. "Are you guys coming over today?" Kuroo looks at you expectantly, a smirk covering his face. "My dad already said yes. So of course." You grumble. "Well, hurry up then! Get dressed and come out." Kuroo whines out. "You're so needy." You curtly say, closing the window behind you. You stare at your bed with a frown, wishing you could've slept in today. Slowly, you drag your feet towards the bathroom to freshen up. 

"Tetsurō can wait a bit..." You smirk to yourself. You purposely don't rush to get ready after freshening yourself up in the bathroom. Twenty minutes pass after your skincare, light makeup, and curling your hair. You then walk over to your closet. It's too hot today for you to even think about wearing pants. You reach for a white graphic crop top and a baby blue plaid skirt. "Y/N, Kuroo is getting impatient!" Dad yells for you from downstairs. 

Groaning under your breath you slide on a pair of ankle socks and hurry downstairs. Dad is already sliding his shoes on at the foyer and you hurry to slide your white sneakers on. "Are we spending the entire day over there dad?" You ask him while retying your shoe laces. "Not if you don't want to. But I'll be catching up with his grandparents. You two could always leave and hang out in the city." Dad smiles at you, opening the door. "Sorry for the long wait Kuroo. Y/N had to make sure she looked pretty for you." Your eyes widen at your dad. "D-DAD. Stop lying to Tetsurō." You lightly slap your dads back to which he chuckles at. Kuroo also feels secondhand embarrassment, an awkward laugh escapes from him. 

Kuroo turns his attention to you and looks you up and down. You notice his gaze and squeeze your way past the two, quickening your steps over to Kuroo's house. "Where are you going Y/N? You don't even know which house it is!" Kuroo calls out after you, holding back his laughter. You read the name plague on the house you're standing in front of.

_Kozume._

Your eyes look up to Kozume's house. Kuroo grabs hold of your wrist. "That's Kenma's house. You're not going over there." 

"Why not?" You look at Kuroo. "There's no way I'm spending today with only you." 

"Too bad. Kenma's not allowed over today. He's also busy battling some final boss or whatever. He won't come out even if I ask him to." Kuroo pulls you towards the next house. You try to resist his tugging but your efforts are pointless. You groan, willingly letting Kuroo take the lead. You make no effort to distance yourself against him now. Your dad watches the two of you from a distance. A warm smile gracing his face. "Grandma, grandpa! Y/N and her dad are here." Kuroo shouts towards the living room. You bow when you see his grandparents turn away from the television. Kuroo's grandmother quickly gets up and runs over to you. Her frail hands grip onto your shoulders and she tears up.

"Oh, you've grown into such a beautiful woman Y/N. You look just like your mother." Kuroo's grandmother coo's at you, giving you a tight hug. You timidly hug her back and form a small smile. Kuroo steps away and walks into the kitchen. Dad greets Kuroo's grandfather who meets the two of you at the foyer. "It's been awhile hasn't it?" Kuroo's grandfather gives your dad a warm hug. "It has." Dad smiles. "I'm sure the kids would like to catch up with each other. How about us adults catch up in the living room?" Kuroo's grandmother releases her hold on you. You grab your dads hand. "Wait, don't leave me alone with Tetsurō." You weakly beg your dad. 

"If he bothers you just yell at him Y/N." Dad chuckles, gently taking your hands away from his. He pats your head. "Don't leave Kuroo hanging. He's probably waiting for you." You sigh to yourself, your eyes looking at your shoes. Kuroo extends an apple juice box towards you and you raise your eyes up to see him. "You didn't have breakfast yet, right?" Kuroo holds two onigiri's in his other hand. "Let's go upstairs and have breakfast together." You take the apple juice from his hand and leave your shoes at the foyer before following him upstairs. 

"Is your dad at work?" You ask Kuroo, the two of you reach the top of the stairs. "Yeah, he said to apologize on his behalf that he couldn't see you and your dad." You nod to yourself, waiting for Kuroo to open his bedroom door. Kuroo cracks open his door slightly but he quickly shuts it. You raise an eyebrow at his odd behavior. "Wait, before we go in. I need you to promise me something." Kuroo looks stiff in front of you, he also looks flustered. "Kuroo, did you leave your porn out or something? I don't care if you do. You're a guy." You flick your eyes up at him. Kuroo relaxes when he hears you say that. "Not porn per say. I just have...posters." 

Your face flushes when you imagine Kuroo staring at those posters alone. "On second thought, I'm going home." You mutter to yourself, turning your heel to leave. "W-WHAT DID YOU JUST THINK ABOUT." Kuroo grabs onto your wrist and pulls you back. You didn't want to look Kuroo in the eye, your face heating up. Kuroo notices the tips of your ears redden. "I never knew you were such a pervert Y/N." Kuroo teases you. "AS IF." You blurt out. 

Kuroo's chuckle echoes in the hallway. He pushes his door open and pulls you inside. You nervously look around his room and relax when you realize it's only one poster that's revealing. "You had me worry for nothing." You grumble under your breath. "She's not even real." You walk over to the poster, noticing the girl is from a popular anime. She's dressed in a bikini that's two sizes too small. "WHAT?! SHE'S VERY REAL." Kuroo takes offense to your words and you scoff. Your eyes then travel across the rest of the room. You're not surprised by how semi-messy his room is. 

"Did you try to clean up for me yesterday?" You sit yourself down by the tea table in the middle of his room. Kuroo pouts, nodding his head shamefully. "At least that's one thing that stayed the same." You whisper to yourself, stabbing the straw into your juice box. "I could clean my room if I wanted." Kuroo huffs under his breath, sitting across from you. He hands you your onigiri and you take it from him. "Do you clean your room for Kozume?" You ask, pulling the wrapping paper off your onigiri. "Not at all." Kuroo laughs, taking a bite of his onigiri.

"Have you invited other girls in here?" You flick your eyes up to Kuroo and he chokes on his food. Kuroo quickly grabs a water bottle that lays on the floor. "W-Where did that question come from?" Kuroo stammers out after swallowing the water. You lower your eyes back to your onigiri. "Kozume told me you give lip service to girls. I figured maybe you're not just all talk." You slowly raise your eyes to Kuroo, staring at him intensely. "I'm sure you've had your fair share of fun with girls." Kuroo grunts when he hears your words. He crinkles his nose from your statements. 

"I'm not judging you for what you do on your free time Tetsurō. It doesn't hurt my feelings." You take a bite of the onigiri. Kuroo exhales and looks towards you. "Yeah, I've had a few flings." Your chest tightens when you hear him admit it but you make sure to not change your facial expression. "I'm not the kind of guy to stay tied down so these one time flings work better for me." Kuroo speaks honestly to you. "But, why did you bring this up Y/N?" 

_Because you wanted to know where you stand in his eyes._

"I'm just curious. You've changed a lot since we last saw each other." You halfheartedly lie. Kuroo silently looks at Y/N, leaning forward from the table towards her. "What about you Y/N? You must've had a few guys around you." You shake your head. "I'm pure unlike you Tetsurō." 

"Pure?" Kuroo raises an eyebrow. "A virgin you idiot." You bluntly say the word, furrowing your brows together. Kuroo flushes when he hears you. "There's no way." 

"Why?" You narrow your eyes on him. "You're telling me there wasn't anyone back at home that wanted a piece of you?" Kuroo scoffs at the idea. "A piece of me? Am I walking piece of meat to you Tetsurō?" You grumble and Kuroo is quick to apologize for his words. "I didn't mean it like that! You know that Y/N." Kuroo raises his voice. "I'm just saying, it's hard to believe." 

"Whatever." You quietly finish your onigiri. Kuroo nibbles his bottom lip, a question on the tip of his tongue. "Are you waiting for someone special Y/N?"

"It's not you, I can tell you that." Kuroo clutches his chest. "You didn't have to answer so honestly." You try to hold back your laughter but it escapes from your lips. Kuroo perks up when he sees you smile. "I'm glad we're able to talk freely like this." Kuroo's tone is much softer. You look over to Kuroo and you're met with a gentle smile. "There's no point in me pushing you away. You'll stubbornly come back." 

"You got that right." Kuroo grins from ear to ear. He stands up and walks over to his bed, pulling something from under it. "I found something last night when I cleaned the room." Kuroo holds several photos in his hand, sitting next to you. His shoulder gently bumps into yours when he places the pictures in front of you. Your eyes widen when you see a few photos of you and Kuroo together. You carefully pick the photos up in your hands. "Your mom took these photos." Kuroo whispers beside you. 

Your finger gently strokes across the photo of you and Kuroo playing volleyball together. "This was taken before you slammed the volleyball into my face." Kuroo chuckles at the memory. "Your fault for not paying attention." You grumble, switching over to the next photo. A smaller version of you is smiling at Kuroo. The two of you are at a park on a swing set. You quietly look through the photos beside Kuroo. You flip to the last photo where you and Kuroo are sleeping next to each other. Kuroo gently rests his head on your shoulder and you tense up. 

"Thank you for always being by my side back then Y/N. I don't think I ever thanked you before I moved away." You lower the photos back on the table. "I also want to apologize to you." Kuroo lifts his head off your shoulder and you turn to look at him. "Apologize?" You repeat the word to him. "I never made the effort to contact you when I moved here. You were probably lonely back at home, weren't you?" Kuroo carefully places his large hand on your cheek. You knit your brows together, biting your lower lip. "You don't have to apologize for that. It's not like you promised me that we'll keep in touch." 

"But if I did, you wouldn't have to bare so much heartache by yourself." Kuroo sounds slightly aggravated. "It's fine." You bluntly answer him, pushing his hand away from your face. "No it's not." Kuroo holds your face still with two hands. "I want you to tell me all the pain you've gone through the past eight years I couldn't be there for." 

"Why? There's no point Tetsurō. You can't change any of it. You can't bring my mother back from the dead." 

"What exactly happened to her?" You stare at Kuroo, a darkness clouding your eyes. Your chest tightens as your mind slowly pulls the memory open. You squeeze your eyes shut, shaking your head. You didn't want to think about it. A soft warmth then touches your lips. You slowly open your eyes and Kuroo fills your vision. "Don't force yourself to answer my question." Kuroo gently strokes your face with his thumbs, his hand slowly moving your head towards his face. "Will you let me distract your pain temporarily Y/N?" 

"What are you saying Tetsurō?" You nervously ask him. Kuroo answers your question with another kiss. You feel conflicted by his answer. His lips send warmth through your body but your mind questions if he's only doing this to benefit himself. You find yourself losing to your thoughts when Kuroo places another gentle kiss on you. You give in to the warmth you've never felt since your mothers passing. 


	14. Distract me

Kuroo holds your face steady as he plants several kisses against your lips. Letting yourself go, you nervously kiss him back. His breath hitches when he feels your lips kiss him back. Kuroo then lowers one of his hands down to the small of your back, carefully holding you. You startle when you feel his large palm on your back. Noticing your tenseness, Kuroo rubs your back in circular motions. He leans in again, clashing his lips against yours. Caught up in the moment, the two of you kiss as if you'd never see each other again. 

_Your mind is empty for once._

**Dark thoughts are unable to pull you down.**

You startle when you feel something invade your mouth. Kuroo slyly enters his tongue and teasingly flicks his tongue against yours. A soft moan escapes from your lips. You've never kissed like this before, let alone kiss anyone. You can't keep up with Kuroo's lead. Nervously you pull away, staring at a thin string of saliva that drips from Kuroo's tongue. "You really are pure, Y/N." Kuroo smiles to himself, licking his lips. Your face flushes and you take a second to calm your racing heart. Now that you're not clouded over by lust, you take in the situation. You wiggle your way out of Kuroo's grasp. 

"W-What are we doing Tetsurō?" Your eyes lower to your lap. Kuroo raises an eyebrow. "Distracting you from pain." You press your lips together, knitting your eyebrows together. "But...this isn't right." You flick your eyes up to Kuroo. "We shouldn't be messing around with each other like this. I don't want to be like the other girls you mess around with Tetsurō." You steady yourself up on your feet. "They might've been overjoyed to fool around with you like this. But I don't want you to think I'll willingly play into your game." You stare at Kuroo unsure how to read his expression. 

Kuroo seems to be recovering from his lust. His eyes are clouded over and he's unsure how to respond to you. "I don't want you to think that this is an okay thing between us." You firmly say to him. "I'm going home." You don't wait for Kuroo to say anything. Your feet quickly leading you out of his room. The adults notice you running down the stairs. "Y/N?" Dad calls out to you. You stop yourself at the end of the steps, bowing to Kuroo's grandparents. "Thank you for having me over. I just remembered I forgot to go pick up something." You lie, fumbling to put your shoes on and swiftly leaving out of the door. 

Dad shakes his head, taking a sip of the warm green tea in front of him. "Looks like those two got into another argument." 

"You'd think they would be ecstatic to see each other again." Kuroo's grandfather chuckles and the three resume their conversation. You don't make it far from Kuroo's house when your legs give in and you're squatting outside in the middle of the pathway between Kuroo's and Kozume's house. You hide your face with your palms. The heat on your face still radiates. 

_Why did you kiss him back._

_Why did you easily let his warmth take over your judgement._

A deep frown paints on your face. "I'm an idiot." You whisper to yourself. 

Kozume is walking back from the convenience store when he notices Y/L/N squatting outside. The distant look in her eyes and her redden cheeks pulls him in. Kozume walks over to Y/L/N, squatting beside her. You falter when you see Kozume silently squatting next to you, his hand carrying a plastic bag. Taking one of his earphones out of his ear, he looks at you with his deadpan expression. "What are you doing out here and not inside Kuroo's house Y/L/N?" You turn away from Kozume's stare. You didn't know whether you should confide to Kozume about what happened earlier. Kuroo is also Kozume's friend. You didn't want to put Kozume in a spot where he had to support you over Kuroo. 

Biting your tongue you tell Kozume nothing. "No reason." Kozume quietly looks at her side profile. He stands up and pretends to walk away. He purposely wants to see if Y/L/N would stop him. But she doesn't.

_She's just as stubborn as Kuroo._

Kozume walks back over to Y/L/N, extending his hand towards her. You flutter your eyelashes over to the hand that's extended towards you. You slowly look up to Kozume. Not a single emotion is on his face. "I can only assume Kuroo did something to upset you, right?" A frown etches on your face when you listen to Kozume. "I know just the thing to distract you from him." 

_Distract you?_

You instantly remember Kuroo's way of distraction and you grimace. "I don't usually extend my hand like this to anyone." Kozume speaks up again, your attention returning to him. "Sorry." You apologize, nervously placing your hand in Kozume's soft ones. Despite how small Kozume is next to Kuroo, he's strong. Kozume easily pulls you up. He gently releases your hand and leads you to his house. 

You stop in front of his door. 

"Um." You bite your lip, unsure if it's a good idea for you to go to Kozume's house. "Oh." Kozume bluntly says under his breath. He turns around. "I'm just inviting you over to play video games." You feel embarrassed having Kozume state that aloud. The two of you enter his house, an eerie silence fills the home. You assume his parents are both at work. The two of you don't linger for long at the foyer after taking your shoes off. "Kuroo mentioned earlier today that you were tackling a boss battle?" You try to make small talk with Kozume as the two of you walk upstairs and enter his bedroom. Unlike Kuroo's room, Kozume's room is organized. You're greeted by several bookshelves of manga and video games. Besides the bookshelves, you see shelving and display cases of figures. 

A gasp escapes from you when you walk towards a lit up glass display. You're careful to not touch anything. 

"Yeah...it's been four hours and I still can't defeat the second half of the boss battle. So I went out to get a few snacks." Kozume plops himself on the floor, turning the television back on with a remote. He eyes Y/L/N from the corner of his eyes. The sparkle in her eyes gives him some relief. Kozume stressed over the fact that he wouldn't be able to comfort Y/L/N. "Your room is way cooler than Kuroo's." You sit beside Kozume after touring his room. Kozume turns to look at you, handing you the controller. "You went inside his room today?" Taking the controller from Kozume, your cheeks turn a light pink. You pull your thoughts away from Kuroo and focus on the game that's reflecting back at you. 

"He's a pervert." You mutter under your breath. Kozume surprises you with a soft chuckle. "I'm guessing you saw the poster." Your eyes turn over to Kozume, seeing him laugh. You're surprised by how charming Kozume looks when he's not blankly staring. "Who wouldn't see such a large poster like that on his wall?" You grumble, hiding the smile that's forming on your face. When you press the start button, Kozume informs you on what each button does. The next few minutes fly by with you getting your ass kicked. Kozume silently watches you while eating his snacks. 

A comfortable silence is shared between the two of you. Neither of you say a word. Both of your attentions glued to the screen above you. After several deaths, you somehow make it to the second half of the boss battle. "K-Kozume what do I do now?!" You start to panic, your character barely misses the oncoming jabs from the boss. "Just try to remember his fighting patterns." Kozume also sounds frantic. "He should stop jabbing right about...NOW!" You've never heard Kozume sound so passionate before. Slightly distracted by his outburst, you missed your chance to attack. 

"Ah..." Your shoulders slump. "It's okay, you're doing better than me." Kozume cheers you up with his words. "You'll get him in the next pattern set. There's 10 minutes left in the battle." Feeling motivated again, you throw all your focus into the battle. The two of you holding your breaths. The boss tries to slash you again before lowering his swords. 

**NOW.**

You move your character forward and unleash your ultimate move which successfully takes the boss down. A loud scream comes from the television, the boss falling onto his back. "Y-You did it!" Kozume's eyes widen, he lowers the bag of chips down and turns to look at you. You squeal in excitement, lowering the controller down to your lap. "I-I can't believe it!" The corner of your eyes starts to tear up and you wipe the tears away. Kozume startles when he see's you're crying. 

"Ah, sorry. I look dramatic right now." You sniffle, turning to look at Kozume. "I was afraid I was going to let you down." 

"Let me down?" Kozume repeats your words. "You were so patient with me the entire time while I died over and over." Kozume softens his eyes on Y/L/N, a warm laughter escaping his lips. "It's just a game Y/L/N. I wouldn't be upset if you couldn't defeat the boss." Kozume ruffles your hair. "Good job though. You beat a game I couldn't defeat." Your cheeks turn a soft shade pink from Kozume's touch. You've never seen Kozume so full of life. 

_Is he only this expressive towards video games?_

Kozume pulls his hand back and looks at you. "Do you feel better?" You forget the real reason you're here with Kozume. He brought you here to distract you from Kuroo. Nodding your head you smile at Kozume. "Yeah, thank you Kozume." Kozume is the one to blush now when he sees Y/L/N smile towards him. 


	15. Her somebody

The doorbell rings throughout Kozume's house as the two of you look at one another. "KENMA! IS Y/N IN THERE WITH YOU?!" Kuroo shouts in front of the door. "I'd figured he would come here sooner or later..." Kozume stands up and opens his window, staring down at Kuroo. "Can you pipe down." Kozume nonchalantly says to Kuroo. Kuroo whips his body to the left to look at Kozume from the window. "Well, is she in there? I don't have her number to contact her...and she doesn't seem to be home." Kuroo bites his lower lip, annoyingly ruffling his hair. Kozume sighs, "What did you do this time?" 

You glance over to Kozume, wondering why he hasn't told Kuroo that you are here with him. "WHY DO YOU ASSUME I DID SOMETHING?!" Kuroo cries out. You've never heard Kuroo sound so childish or frantic like this. He's always trying to look cool in front of you. "Because, you're always bothering Y/L/N." Kuroo groans, dropping his shoulders. "Fine...I did do something. Let me in so we can talk." Kozume noticeably stiffens when he hears Kuroo's request. 

"Ah..." You squeak out. Kozume closes the window and turns to look at you. "Should I tell him you're here?" Kozume questions you. Shaking your head you look up at Kozume. "I'm curious to what he has to say." Your eyes dart around the room and you stop at Kozume's closet. "I'm hiding." You don't wait for Kozume's retort when you slip yourself into his closet. Kozume widens his eyes slightly. He holds back his chuckle, walking out of his room. "I can't tell who's worse. Kuroo or Y/L/N." Kozume mumbles to himself, walking down the stairs to open the door for Kuroo.

"Jeez, what took you so long?" Kuroo groans, letting himself in. "Hey, you're interrupting my game day." Kozume says towards Kuroo who's naturally walking upstairs towards Kozume's room. "Oh, right. Sorry. Did you ever beat that boss?" Kuroo enters Kozume's room, taking a seat where Y/L/N just recently was. "Yeah." Kozume picks up his bag of chips. "So, what happened between you and Y/L/N? Did she meet your grandparents?" Kuroo nods. "She came over like she promised." Kuroo pauses, leaning his nose towards Kozume. Kozume raises an eyebrow from Kuroo's behavior. "You smell different Kenma."

"What?" Kozume tries to hide his nervous tone. "I think the smell is coming from you Kuroo. You smell like strawberries." 

"But, so do you Kenma!" 

"Idiot, we're sitting right next to each other. Your smell is rubbing off on me." Kozume places a chip in his mouth, wanting Kuroo to stop over analyzing things. "Oh. Maybe you're right." 

_Idiot. Kuroo is such an idiot._

"Anyway, don't say anything until I finish my story Kenma." Kuroo looks at Kozume with a serious gaze. Kozume quietly stares at Kuroo, waiting for him to start. You lean your back against the wall. You pray that Kuroo doesn't take long to tell Kozume everything. The heat in the small space is starting to get to you. "Y/N and I were hanging out in my room and I shared some photos with her that her mother took. When I was sitting next to her, looking at the photos with her...I just felt this strong tug in my chest." Kuroo places a hand over his chest as if he's reenacting the motion. "Like my feelings for her were suffocated. So I started to say some serious cheesy things. I thanked her for being there for me and I also apologized for not being able to do more on my end." Kuroo's hand lowers back to his lap. His brows furrowing together. 

"I brought up her mom again because I'm curious about her mother's death. But I shouldn't have. Y/N looked uncomfortable. She made this expression of distraught." Kuroo then shamefully lowers his head, covering his eyes with his palms. "My idiotic self thought the best way to comfort her was to show her affection. I didn't bother thinking about her when I started advancing towards her. She startled me when she kissed me back but I think her mind wasn't thinking straight and I took advantage of it." Kozume slowly narrows his eyes on Kuroo. You bite the inner part of your cheek, your hands clench onto your skirt. 

"You didn't do anything more than kiss her, right Kuroo?" Kozume interjects despite Kuroo telling him earlier to wait for him to finish. "No. Y/N came back to her senses. She lectured me about not wanting to be like the other girls I fool around with. I didn't realize that's what I made her appear like." Kuroo groans loudly. "She's important to me and yet I treated her like any other girl." Kuroo rubs his face with his hands, he then hits his fist against his thigh. "I won't be surprised if she doesn't speak to me anymore. I was too entranced from the lust." Kozume presses his lips together, a sharp glare on Kuroo. 

"No wonder Y/L/N couldn't tell me what was wrong." Kozume softly speaks towards Kuroo. Kuroo raises his eyes up and notices the glare Kozume holds on him. "W-Wait, so you did see her?" Kozume stands up and slowly walks his way over to his closet. You panic when you realize what Kozume is doing. Kozume opens his closet door and looks down at your wavering eyes. You look up to Kozume's golden eyes, feeling embarrassed about the whole situation. You fear Kozume saw less of you now because of Kuroo's story. 

"Give me your hand." Kozume softly speaks to you, extending his hand down to you. You quietly do as he says and place your hand in Kozume's. Kozume carefully pulls you out of the closet and leads you over to Kuroo. Kozume feels your hand tremble in his and he softly squeezes them. "Apologize to Y/L/N, Kuroo." Kozume narrows his piercing eyes down. "W-Wait, why was she in your closet?!" Kuroo grows flustered. "I hid in his closet. Kozume didn't suggest that idea." You interject. "He brought me here to comfort me without knowing any details of why." Kuroo quiets down and his eyes fall onto your held hands. He furrows his brows. "Wait...what's going on between the two of you?" 

You pull your hand away from Kozume. "Nothing, Tetsurō. Stop avoiding the apology." Out of character, Kozume takes your hand back in his. Both Kuroo and you stare at Kozume in bewilderment. "K-Kozume?" Kozume eyes Kuroo. "I think I can be that somebody for her, Kuroo." Kuroo's breath hitches and he seems paralyzed from Kozume's words. "Y/N excites me. I think I know her next move but she does the complete opposite. She's constantly keeping me on my toes, especially today." Kozume looks over to you with his usual expression. "She defeated the boss for me. A boss I struggled to beat these past two months." You look at Kozume completely confused. 

_What is Kozume going on about? Did he also call you by your first name?_

Kozume smiles towards you. "I'm having a lot of fun when she's around. It was tiring in the beginning but I'm getting used to this chase." Your cheeks redden and you feel your heart skip from Kozume's gentle smile towards you. He squeezes your hand again to remind you that he still has his hold on you. Kuroo softly chuckles in front of you two. "I'm glad Kenma." Kuroo sounds genuine when he looks at the two of you. "I also want to apologize, Y/N. I won't kiss you unless you ask me to." Kuroo winks at you and you're quick to glare at him. 

"How about no kissing at all." Kozume cuts into the conversation. "Put those perverted lips of yours on another girl." Kuroo sulks dramatically from Kozume's words. "Yeah, that's probably the better choice." Kuroo extends his hand and pulls your hand away from Kozume's. "You can stop making me jealous now Kenma." Kozume flushes. He's now aware of his actions once the tension from earlier is gone. "Sorry for grabbing your hand Y/N." 

"It's okay Kenma." Kozume widens his eyes when you call him Kenma. You purse your lips together when you see his reaction. "You're calling me Y/N so...I thought it would be okay to call you Kenma. If it's not, I'll go back to Kozume." Kozume clears his throat. "No, it's okay." Kozume lowers his eyes, his hair falling over his face. "It sounds nice coming from you."

"But it doesn't when I say it?!" Kuroo raises his voice. "Kenma! Kenma! Kenma!"

"Shut up Tetsurō! Why are you so loud for?!" You grab the nearest pillow and put it over Kuroo's mouth. Kozume silently watches the two of them bicker, his golden eyes resting on Y/L/N with a small smile. 


	16. Blind date plans

"Are you sure it's okay for me to join you and the others at lunch?" You look over to Kozume who walks beside you. "Yeah. Would you rather spend it in the classroom?" Kozume looks over to you, the two of you entering the courtyard. Pursing your lips, you shake your head. "Then don't be stubborn." Kozume holds back his low chuckle.

"Y/N!! Kenma!" Kuroo shouts to the both of you, waving his hand wildly. Your eyebrows twitch from his booming voice. A few curious eyes look over to the three of you. "Why are you embarrassing me." You grumble, raising your fist towards Kuroo's side. Kuroo easily grabs hold of your hand, pulling you into an embrace. "This is what you call an embarrassment." Kuroo whispers into your ear. "Tetsurō!" You cry out, pulling yourself away from him. "I don't need people to think something is going on between us." 

"I think it's a bit late for that..." Kozume mumbles towards you, sitting down on the bench. "Let them say whatever. It's not like you care about gossip anyway." Kuroo ruffles the top of your head, pulling you over to the bench to sit between him and Kozume. "Where's Lev?" Kozume looks around blankly. "He'll be here any moment now." Kuroo grins beside you, taking his phone out. "Did you see what he messaged in the group chat?" Kuroo speaks to Kozume who slowly takes his phone out of his pocket. You awkwardly sit there, listening to the two converse. 

"Should I...sit somewhere else?" You glance over at the two. "No, why?" Kuroo raises his eyes away from his phone and towards you. "Well...it's a bit awkward for you two to speak to each other while I'm in the way." You start to get up to make your way across the table but Kuroo puts a hand down on your thigh. Your chest tightens and you're quick to push Kuroo's hand away. "Kuro." Kozume's piercing eyes stare at Kuroo's hand. Kuroo chuckles and apologizes. "Sorry, it's just nice to get a different reaction from Y/N besides a glare." You bite your lower lip, getting out of the seat. 

Rushed footsteps stop behind you and you see Lev panting heavily. "S-Sorry I'm late!" Lev tiredly shouts. He slowly raises his head and sees you. "AH! Y/L/N! Are you leaving now?" Lev doesn't hide the dejected look on his face when he sees you stepping away from the table. "No, I'm just removing myself from this pervert." You point over at Kuroo who doesn't hide his shame. He wears a smirk. Lev perks up and his eyes sparkle. "Will you sit next to me then?"

"No!" Kuroo interjects. "Sure." You ignore Kuroo and Lev happily sits across from Kuroo. You join Lev to his right, sitting across from Kozume. "What were you up to Lev? You look exhausted." Kozume keeps his eyes on Lev, noticing his redden face. "Well, a group of girls in my class were talking about having a blind date but they didn't know any guys who were willing to join them." Lev starts to explain himself. "Oh god...I don't like where this is going." Kozume groans. "Shut up Kenma, let Lev finish." Kuroo lightly slaps Kozume's back.

"Me being the kind guy I am, I volunteered myself. But they said we'll need a few more guys so I threw in your names. I also threw in Yaku to punish him for always badmouthing me during practice." A mischievous grin forms on Lev's face when he talks about this Yaku person. Kozume hides his face in his palms while Kuroo excitedly shouts. "OH YEAH! FIRST YEARS." You kick Kuroo under the table, knitting your brows together. He winces under the table, hands flying to his knee. "HEY! Don't injure the captain of the volleyball team." Kuroo cries out towards you. Lev looks over to you, eyebrows raised. 

"Um, do you want to come too Y/N? We'll need one more girl since I volunteered Yaku to spite him." You're quick to say no but Kuroo takes up the offer for you. "She'll come. It's not like she has anything to do anyway. When is this happening Lev?" You try to interject the conversation. "Wait-"

"Today! After school." Lev grins from ear to ear."T-Today?!" You look over at Lev who turns to look at you. Kozume lowers his head to the table. "Lev, I'm going to hurt you." Both you and Lev stare at Kozume in silence. "This is exciting." Kuroo rubs his hands together. "It's been awhile since I went out with the purpose of spending time with a girl." You're unsure how to feel when you hear Kuroo speak aloud. Your eyes downcast. Realization hits you when you process Kuroo's words slowly. "Wait...there's no point in me going. I don't plan to hook up with anyone." You glare at Kuroo specifically. 

"You don't have to Y/N. Just enjoy the time with us instead." Kuroo grins. Lev blushes beside you, his voice soft. "I wouldn't mind if we hooked up after..." You pretend to not hear Lev. Kozume however hears him and lifts his head up to look over to you. "I call dibs on Y/N." Kozume looks at you expressionless. You're flustered by Kozume's words. "That's not how it works Kenma!" Lev leans over the table to block you from Kozume's sight. Kozume silently looks over to Lev. "Then how does it work?" 

Kuroo chuckles beside Kozume. "You've never been to one of these things have you Kenma?" Kozume scrunches his nose. "No." 

"Looks like you'll find out after school." Kuroo hums happily next to Kozume. While Kuroo and Kozume converse to each other, Lev takes out his phone and hands it over to you. "Could I get your number Y/L/N? That way I can send you the details." 

"Oh, sure." You take Lev's phone out of his hand and tap in your contact. "Wait, you're giving Lev your number before me?" Kuroo extends his phone out towards you. Placing Lev's phone back in his hand, you stare at Kuroo's phone. "We live in the same neighborhood. Why do you need my number for Tetsurō?" 

"In case I get lonely?" Kuroo throws out a half ass answer. "I'd rather not get a call from you around 2 in the morning." You bluntly answer him. Lev and Kozume hold back their laughter when Kuroo slumps over. "Fine. Just give me your number because it'll make me happy." Kuroo inches the phone to you again. Giving in, you take his phone and tap your phone number in. Kozume quietly places his phone in front of you, not saying a word. The simple action makes you smile. You easily take Kozume's phone and place your number in. 

"Wait, you'll willingly give your number out to Lev and Kozume but not me? I sense favoritism." Kuroo looks at your phone number, calling it incase you gave him a fake number. Your phone vibrates in your skirt pocket, taking it out to show Kuroo. "They don't annoy me like you do." Kozume takes his phone back when you extend your hand towards him. Lev and Kozume both text you so you also have their contacts. "I should go find Yaku to tell him about our after school plans." Lev stands up and waves goodbye to you before jogging off. "See you three later!" With Lev gone, you slump your head down on the table. "I hate you Kuroo." 

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. Besides, you might enjoy yourself." Kuroo looks at you with a gentle smile. "If it's boring, we can go to an arcade Y/N." Kozume calls out to you. You perk up by the thought of an arcade. You've been in Tokyo for almost two weeks and never found the time to play at an arcade. Lifting your head up, your eyes brighten towards Kozume. "Let's just go straight there Kenma. I'd really like to play on the claw machines." The smile on Y/L/N's face makes Kozume's heart waver. "Sure." Kozume absentmindedly answers her. 

"UH. NO. You two have to spend time with Lev, Yaku, and I before you two run off elsewhere." Kuroo crosses his arms, making you groan. "We can play one claw game after Y/N." Kozume tries to cheer you up and a smile forms on your face. "Okay." You notice Kozume relax his shoulders when he sees you smile. 


	17. Pocky game

You're slow to get your belongings together when the final bell rings throughout the school. Your classmates rush out of the classroom, talking among each other. "Are you ready to go?" Kozume speaks up next to you. He stands up from his seat and flings his backpack over his shoulder. You shake your head. "Do we have to go? Let's just pretend we both got sick." Kozume forms a small smile, walking past you. "Kuroo would still drag the both of us with him even if we did get sick miraculously." Sighing under your breath, you hurry to follow Kozume. Your phone vibrates in your skirt pocket and you reach inside for your phone.

**'Lev the Giant : 1 message'**

"Is that Lev?" Kozume asks beside you. "Yeah, he said to meet him by the front entrance." You slide your phone back into your pocket. Kozume and you quicken your pace to meet up with the others. When the two of you reach the front entrance, you spot four unfamiliar faces. Three of them being the first year classmates of Lev. Your eyes cast over to an average height guy with short brown hair and brown eyes. Yaku, perhaps? Yaku wears an angry expression, his arms crossed. "Oh? So it's the ice princess that'll be joining us too?" One of the first years turn to look at Lev. Lev nods enthusiastically. "This is a rare bunch." Another first year whispers to her friends.

An odd feeling washes over you and the only thing you can think about is backing out. The three girls in front of you rubbed you off in the wrong way. They seem to give off the 'popular' girl air. But you hold back your irritation for Lev. He seems excited about this. "Where's Kuroo?" Yaku speaks up, noticing the one person who is more excited than Lev isn't around. "Sorry!" Kuroo yells from across the campus. "Speak of the devil." Yaku shakes his head, uncrossing his arms.

"Did I make you ladies wait long?" Kuroo makes his way over to the three first years. His sly voice charms them. You don't hide the annoyed face you're making. "Y/N." Kozume calls out to you, noticing your irritation. You turn to look at Kozume and startle when Kozume presses his finger between your eyebrows. "Don't let Kuroo make you upset." Your face relaxes and you nod quietly to Kozume. "So where are we heading off to?" Kuroo tilts his head to the girls. "Should we go to this new fried chicken spot? I heard the atmosphere there is exciting." One of the girls answer Kuroo with a sweet smile.

"You like fried chicken, right Y/N?" Kuroo looks over to you. Raising an eyebrow, you question why Kuroo cares if you liked fried chicken or not. Everyone's eyes are on you and you can feel the glares from the girls. "Yeah." You bluntly respond. "Alright, lets go there then." Kuroo grins. The group makes their way towards Tokyo Station. Kozume notices the heavy pedestrian traffic, his eyes glancing over to you from the corner of his eyes. "Y/N, stay close to me." Kozume speaks beside you. The two of you walking behind the others. Your eyes briefly widen from Kozume's concern. You notice Kozume is more vocal around you lately since the day you played video games at his place.

"Ah, okay." You softly say to Kozume. The two of you weave through the crowds and rejoin with the group. Thankfully the remainder of the commute goes by smoothly. The eight of you arrive at the fried chicken spot and are seated in booths. Each side divided into boys and girls. You decide to sit at the very end for a quicker escape route. Kozume however got pushed to the inner seat by the wall. Kuroo purposely sits at the end across from you. Your drinks arrive and you quietly let the others order for the group. "Have you guys done this before?" The girl beside you with brunette wavy hair speaks up.

"I think Kuroo is the only one." Lev looks over to Kuroo, past Yaku who's simmered down during the commute here. "That means it's everyone elses first time then." A curly haired blonde happily squeals. "What do you exactly do in these types of get togethers?" Yaku raises an eyebrow, taking a sip of his cola. "We just have fun. What else?" Kuroo smirks, his eyes on the three girls beside you. Irritation flickers in your chest again but you hold back your tongue. "Should we start off by introducing ourselves?" The third girl with black hair tied into a high ponytail says, clapping her hands. "Sure!" Lev grins.

"Don't you already know their names?" Kozume mutters under his breath beside Lev. "Yeah but you guys don't." Lev pouts. "I'll start." Kuroo smirks. "We already know who you are..." You grumble, sipping on your soda. "I like her already." Yaku chuckles out. Kuroo narrows his eyes on Yaku, maintaining his smirk. "Now, you can't say that Yaku. There's three other beautiful girls in front of you." Kuroo clears his throat. "I'm Kuroo Tetsurō, third year."

"Yaku Morisuke. Also third year." He glances at you and the other girls. "Lev Haiba, first year." Lev smiles happily. Kozume silently looks up from his drink. "Kozume Kenma, second year."

The girl with the high ponytail brightens when it's her turn, her eyes landing on Kuroo when she speaks. "Sato Miki, first year." Her friend next to her with curly blonde hair speaks next, looking over at Kozume. "Suzuki Hiyori, first year." You feel the first year beside you straighten herself, her fingers running through her wavy brunette hair. Her attention is towards Lev which makes him nervous. "Ito Midori, first year." Holding back the groan you want to release, you keep your eyes down on your soda. "Y/L/N Y/N, second year." 

"Are you shy Y/L/N?" Ito giggles at you. Squeezing your eyes shut, you play along with her. "Yeah, sure." You mumble out. "Well, it's been over eight years since Y/N hanged out with such a large group." Kuroo comments in, making you lift your head. You furrow your brows together, mentally telling him to not speak for you. "Oh? Were there not many teenagers your age?" Yaku throws a question out to you. "There were. I just..." You fall silent. "They weren't my kind of group." You lie, not wanting to tell them you had difficulty making friends. Suzuki nods her head to your words. "It's hard to find people who have similar interests. Luckily, I met these two since we were in kindergarten." 

"Wow, the three of you have been friends for that long?" Lev gasps, his eyes in belief. The three girls look at one another with warm smiles, nodding. "Must be nice to have a bond like that." Yaku says, sipping his lemonade. The food arrives and the group continues with small chatter. Throughout the conversation you pick up who each girl is after. They seem more adamant than the guys. 

_Suzuki wants Kozume._

_Ito wants Lev._

_Sato wants Kuroo._

_Poor Yaku..._

"Should we play a few games now?" Sato pulls out two handfuls of folded papers. "Whoever matches your number will be your partner!" Kuroo grins widely, rubbing his hand together. "Alright! Time for the fun to start!" Everyone reaches over towards Sato's extended hands and pulls a number. The guys pulling from her left palm and the girls pulling from her right palm. You nervously unfold your paper and see the number '2'. Everyone places their number down on the table and you breath a sigh of relief. 

**Kuroo is '1'.**

You glance over to who has '2' and Lev is already nervously blushing towards you. Ito is partnered up with Yaku. Sato is partnered up with Kozume. Suzuki is with Kuroo. With the matches made, the eight of you sit accordingly across your match. Kozume is now one seat away from the outer corner with Lev being on the outer corner. "A-Ah, it's nice to see you Y/L/N." Lev fumbles his words. You giggle from his shyness. "Why are you nervous Lev?" Your warm giggle catches Kozume's and Kuroo's attention. Lev shyly lowers his eyes, scratching the side of his cheek. 

"Now should we start off with an easy game? Let's see how compatible you are with your partner. I'll say two options and you both say your answer after I countdown from 3." Ito looks at the group with a smile. The order goes from you and Lev - Kozume and Sato - Ito and Yaku - and finally Suzuki and Kuroo.

"Pizza or hamburger?" Lev and you end up saying the opposite answers to one another. 

"Apple juice or orange juice?" Again the both of you say the opposite answer.

"Okay, last one is the moon or the stars?" You glance over at Lev who seems to be in deep thought. He looks a bit frustrated that neither of you are saying the same answer. "I have a feeling they really aren't compatible." Kuroo enjoys the revelation when Lev answers with stars and you answer with the moon. Kozume visibly relaxes when he hears Lev's answers. "Damn it." Lev beats himself up and you try to cheer him up. "It's okay for us to like different things Lev. We'll balance each other out." Lev perks up when he hears you, a smile on his face. 

The next match is up and you glance over at Kozume, the two are asked the same questions. With everyone answering the questions, it seems like everyone's matches weren't compatible. Not wanting the mood to damper, the group plays a few more games to lighten the mood. You're unsure how much time has passed but you feel your energy leaving you. You couldn't hold up this act of enjoying yourself when you are just mentally drained. "Should we play the pocky game as our last game?" Suzuki pulls out a box of pocky from her backpack. "Pocky game?" You whisper, tilting your head. Kozume visibly looks bothered when he hears the word. 

"Oh! I've read a lot about this game in manga." Lev perks up, his eyes sparkling towards you. You lean back in your seat, not liking the sound of this. "It's where two people have pocky between their lips and they slowly meet in the middle. If someone pulls away or drops the pocky, they lose." Kuroo looks over to you and explains the game. 

_T-THEIR LIPS MEET IN THE MIDDLE!?_

You glance over to the three girls who are blushing at the thought. 

_OF COURSE THEY WOULD SAVE THIS GAME FOR LAST._

Biting your lower lip, you furrow your brows together. Wouldn't this kind of game lead to kissing? You clench your skirt under the table. "Lev, here's your pocky." Suzuki hands Lev the pocky. Your eyes turn to Lev. He shyly looks at you with pink cheeks, hiding his smile. 

_Could he not look so excited about this?_

"Should we start the game Suzuki and end off with Lev and Y/N? I think that'll be more exciting." Kuroo teases you. Pursing your lips you glare at Kuroo. Suzuki blushes, shaking her head. "I don't mind at all." 

_Of course she wouldn't. Kuroo is most likely going to kiss her._

Suzuki places the pocky between her lips and Kuroo gently wraps the other end between his lips, the two leaning over the table. Yaku makes a disgusted face beside Kuroo."You're enjoying this too much Kuroo." Yaku lowly says beside Kuroo. Kuroo winks at Yaku in response. Ito countdowns for the two and slowly the two bite their way towards the middle. Suzuki is more nervous to bite her end which leads Kuroo to eat majority of the pocky. You feel an ache in your chest when you watch Kuroo reach closer to her lips. 

_To think during the weekend Kuroo kissed you as if it meant nothing._

You downcast your eyes, feeling depressed for some reason. Kuroo softly presses a kiss on Suzuki. The other girls squealing at the sight. Kozume keeps his eyes on you, noticing your gloominess. Suzuki throws her hands towards her heated face. Kuroo chuckles, pleased with himself. "Y-You're up now Ito." Suzuki stammers her words. Yaku stands up and places the pocky between his lips, Ito leans forward and nervously looks at Yaku from across the pocky. Suzuki counts down for Ito and Yaku. The difference between these two is how Yaku lacks to participate. He holds the pocky in place but Ito is the one to meet his end. 

You watch her face redden. "Yaku, don't make her do all the hard work." Kuroo complains to Yaku. But Yaku doesn't budge. Ito is one bite away from Yaku's lip and the group stays silent. 

_Does she not want to kiss Yaku?_

Yaku extends his hand towards Ito's cheek, pulling her close which makes their lips touch. "AGH." Lev groans out, covering his face. "YAKU IS TRYING TO LOOK COOL AGAIN." Kuroo chuckles loudly. "So that was your plan." Yaku releases his hold on Ito's cheek and sits down with a smug grin. "I-Ito are you okay?" Suzuki pulls Ito back in her seat. Ito's face is flushed and she seems to be shocked from what happened. Sato stands up swiftly next to you. "K-Kozume, it's our turn." You hear her impatience in her tone, your eyes flicking up to her. Kozume slowly gets up and nods. 

Sato places the pocky between her lips, giving the chocolate end to Kozume. Your eyes move over to look at Kozume, his eyes briefly looking at you before he puts his lips around the chocolate. You wonder if Kozume will loosely kiss another girl. You couldn't envision him doing something like that. You're the one to countdown for the two. "3...2...1." You keep your eyes on Kozume. He holds his usual deadpan expression on Sato. "Uh, Kenma you should start biting your end too." Lev points out to the still Kozume. Sato looks eager on her side when you watch her bite quickly. Your heart races when you see Sato inch closer and closer to Kozume's face. This pain is much different than the one you felt when you watched Kuroo. 

Not wanting to look, you lower your eyes again. You then hear a crunch from above you. Raising your eyes, you see Kozume with a broken pocky piece. Sato holds the remainder in her lips. "K-Kenma you're not suppose to break the pocky!" Kuroo yells at him over Yaku. "Sorry." Kozume doesn't look apologetic at all when he sits back down. Your shoulders relax but your heart still pounds in your chest. Sato sits down beside you, frowning. "I guess we're the last ones." Lev calls out to you, pulling your attention towards him. Your heart now pounds for a different reason. With the height difference, you look up to Lev who places the pocky in his mouth. Lev leans down to give you the chocolate end. You grow nervous with how the two of you are positioned. This is an advantage towards Lev. He can easily bite his way towards you. 

Sato counts down for the both of you and you nervously hold the pocky in your lips. Lev slowly bites his way towards you. Your mind is a mess when you look at Lev's catlike green eyes. You feel the heat in your cheeks when Lev's scent is close enough to your nose. 

_I-Is Lev going to kiss you like this?!_

Your eyes waver when you hear the sound of Lev's crunch. The two of you are only one bite away. Lev eyes you with nervousness, his face slowly reddening again. Kozume pinches hard on the back of Lev's legs making him pull away from the pocky. "AHH!!" Lev shouts, falling on his butt on the seat. The others raise their eyebrows in confusion. "What just happened?" Yaku eyes Lev who's rubbing the back of his leg. Lev darts his eyes towards Kozume who's casually sipping on his cola. You lower your eyes on Kozume, sitting yourself back down. 

"KENMA! YOU STOPPED ME." Lev whines out. "You have no proof." Kozume bluntly says aloud, his golden eyes flick over to you. You bite your lower lip, still feeling the heat in your cheeks. "Well, that was fun and all but it's getting late. Should we walk you ladies to the station?" Kuroo glances over at the three first years. The three of them accept his offer and the eight of you pay for your meals before leaving the restaurant. "I'm not going to forgive you for this Kenma." You hear Lev grumble behind you. The eight of you stop in front of Tokyo station. The girls thank you all for coming out and everyone starts to part off. Kuroo stands off to the side to get their numbers and you say your goodbyes to Lev and Yaku. The two waving a goodbye to you. 

Kozume quietly stands next to you. You turn to look at Kozume. "Thank you for earlier Kenma." Kozume looks over to you, his golden eyes resting on your face. "There's no need to thank me. I wanted to do it for myself." Kozume murmurs under his breath. Your brows knit together and you tilt your head. "For yourself?" Kozume presses his lips together, glancing towards the sunset sky. "It's too hard for me to explain." 

"Oh..." You slowly nod your head, looking towards the station. "Should we head home then?" 

"Not yet." Kozume looks over to you. "Let's find a claw machine game before we go. You said you wanted to play one, right?" Your eyes widen when you look at Kozume. A warmth fills your body.

_Kozume is keeping his promise that he made with you._

You nod your head, a smile on your face. "I do." Kozume forms a small smile on his face, extending his hand to you. "Then let's go find one before Kuroo catches us." You lower your eyes to his hand. "It'll be easier if we held hands to not lose each other in the crowd." Kozume softly says, scrunching his nose. Nervously, you place your hand in Kozume's soft ones. The two of you quickly leave Kuroo behind with the other girls.


	18. His gentle smile

Kozume tightens his grip on your hand when the two of you come across a busy street. You take in the bright lights of Tokyo as you follow beside Kozume. It's your first time being in the city for enjoyment. The two of you don't have to walk far when you see a building with bright colorful lights. A claw machine store is tucked between two other stores. One selling electronics and another is a boutique. You expect Kozume to let go of your hand when you step into the claw machine store but he keeps his hold on you. "Which one do you like?" Kozume scans his eyes across the different machines. The variety surprises you when you see one carrying figures, another with plushies, one with snacks, and several others that are further back. 

You spot a machine carrying cat plushies, they faintly remind you of Kozume. You pull Kozume along towards the machine and press your pointer finger against the glass. "That one looks like you Kenma." You say with a smile on your face. Kozume follows your gaze and sees an orange striped cat. He presses his lips together, clearing his throat. "No it doesn't." You turn to look over at Kozume, staring at him. Kozume turns his attention to you. 

"How can you not see the similarity? You're both making the same faces too." 

"He isn't making a face." 

"Exactly! You're not either." You point at Kozume. Kozume widens his eyes briefly, you hear him hold back his laughter. "That's enough for you to compare me to that cat in there?" 

"No..." You look back to the cat. "You remind me of a cat too. You only make the effort if it's something you enjoy. You wouldn't willingly do things for others if you didn't enjoy it. You're timid of others and you'll only approach the ones you trust. Just like a cat." You turn your eyes back to Kozume. Kozume takes in everything Y/N said, he doesn't say anything to her analysis. "Does that make you a dog then?" Kozume mumbles to himself. "A w-what?" You hear Kozume and he looks over to you. 

"Based on how Kuroo described you in the past you were always by his side. You knew something was wrong so you made sure to be there for him. You were loyal. But when you reunited with Kuroo you were distant and kept your guard up. Like how a dog would bark at others to intimidate them. However, they're actually scared so they appear aggressive. With a little coaxing and attention the dog warms up to the person and they'll stay loyal to the person." You nibble on your bottom lip, listening to Kozume pour out his thought process. 

"So we're the opposite." You look at Kozume, not trying to hide your frown. Kozume notices his observation bothered Y/N and he's quick to speak up.

"Opposites attract."

You're baffled from his response, fluttering your eyelashes in surprise. Kozume doesn't give you room to react when he inserts two coins into the claw machine. "You want the orange one, right?" 

"Ah, yeah." You form a few words, stepping to the side to give Kozume room. Kozume focuses on the claw, moving the controller to the left slightly. You hold your breath when you watch the claw slowly drop. The silver metal claw opens and closes when it falls into the pile of cat plushies. Your eyes widen when you see the orange cat clasped around the claw. Kozume relaxes his shoulders when he sees the cat move over to the opening, a soft thud hitting the bottom of the machine. He leans over and takes the cat out of the machine, handing it over to you. Releasing your held breath, you take the cat from him. "Thank you Kenma!" You happily squish the cat against your cheek. "You make it look so easy." You hold your smile when you look at the orange cat in your hands. 

Kozume shyly scratches the back of his head. "I've had a few years of experiences with claw machines." 

"I should win something for you too." You suggest the idea, looking at the other machines. Kozume spots a machine with shiba inu plushies, he walks over to the machine. "Do you think you could win me one of these?" You walk over to Kozume and stare at the pile of shiba inu's. "Which one?" You smile when you see how adorable each one is. Kozume points towards a white shiba inu that has a pink bandanna. "That one looks like you." You flush from his words. "W-What?" 

"Make sure you win that one for me." Kozume looks at you and you notice the smile in his eyes. "Alright..." Handing your plush to Kozume to hold, you open your coin purse and insert two coins inside the slot. You shake off your hands, feeling them clam up. You gauge all of your attention towards the claw and pray you can win Kozume's shiba in one try. But because of how nervous you are, you press the lower button a bit too soon. The claw is angled a bit forward and you miss completely. "Uh...I'm just warming up." You fumble your words out, inserting another two coins in. Kozume hides the smile on his face when he looks at your focused expression. He's more focused on you than the claw machine. 

Ignoring your nervousness you attempt a second try for the shiba. Those beady eyes staring back at you. You place your hand down on the button to lower the claw. You don't breath, the tension eating at you when you watch the shiba slowly getting clasp by the claw. Time seems to move in slow motion when you watch the shiba wobble in the claw. The sweet sound of the shiba falling in the prize bin makes you exhale. Leaning over, you grab the shiba out of the machine. "Here you g-" You turn to look at Kozume. He's hiding his laughter with his hand. His cheeks red from muffling his laugh. "What's so funny Kenma?" You knit your brows together. Kozume lowers his hand, his shoulders shaking with laughter. 

"S-Sorry Y/N. You just looked so serious. I would've been fine if you couldn't win it for me." Kozume clears his throat, handing you your plush back. Kozume reaches out for the shiba inu and takes it in his hold. Pressing your lips together, you avert your eyes down, blushing. "I'm leaving." You grumble out, turning around to leave. Kozume tangles his fingers with yours, stopping you in your tracks. "Thank you for winning me this Y/N." Kozume walks over to your side, he flashes you a gentle smile. A smile you've never seen on his face before. Your heart starts to pound. Kozume quietly leads you out of the store. 

Clenching onto the cat plush closely, the scent of citrus and oak clouds over it. Your eyes nervously look over to Kozume. "What are you naming your shiba, Kenma?" 

"Y/N." Kozume doesn't miss a beat to your question. Feeling your cheeks heat up again, Kozume gives your hand a gentle squeeze. "What are you naming the cat?" Kozume looks at you from the corner of his eye. "K-Kenma." You avert your gaze from him, feeling too shy. You never realized how adorable Kozume is until now. Kozume also never realized how adorable Y/N looks when she's flustered. His chest tightens when he sees her fall apart because of him. 


	19. After school game

"Where did you two run off to last night?" Kuroo looks over at Kozume. The two throwing the volleyball back and forth to each other in the gym. "I promised to take her to a claw machine place." Kozume jumps up to return the volleyball Kuroo serves his way. "What did you do after?" Kozume lands on the gymnasium floor. Kuroo catches the volleyball and smirks. "I was busy texting the girls from the group."

"All of them?" Kozume stares at Kuroo, not surprised in the slightest. Kuroo laughs, nodding his head. "You do know they'll find out you're talking to every single one of them when they hang out together, right?" Kozume walks over to Kuroo. The two are covered in sweat. "Is Kuroo hogging all the girls from yesterday to himself?" Yaku steps into the conversation, wiping his face with a towel that's around his neck. "I'm sure you and Lev aren't interested." Kuroo wears a smug grin on his face. "First years aren't my type." Yaku shrugs. "Y/L/N, however...she's spunky." Yaku smirks. Kozume stiffens when he hears the way Yaku speak about Y/N.

"Sorry Yaku she's called for." Kuroo shuts Yaku down quickly. "By who?" Yaku raises an eyebrow. Kuroo slowly looks over to Kozume in silence. Yaku follows Kuroo's line of sight and stares at Kozume. Kozume is silently looking down, raising his eyes when he notices a silence. He realizes their gaze is on him. "What?"

"Are you interested in Y/L/N?" Yaku straightforwardly asks Kozume. Kozume stays quiet, thinking on his answer. "We're friends." Yaku smiles at Kozume's response. "So it's okay if I ask her to go out on a date with me this weekend?" Kozume presses his lips together, something tugs on his heart but he ignores it. "Why are you asking me?" Kozume turns his eyes over to Kuroo. Kuroo shrugs, "Good luck getting her to agree with you Yaku. I don't think she remembers who you even are." Yaku punches Kuroo in the side. "We saw each other yesterday, how could she forget?" Kuroo dodges Yaku's fist and chuckles. "Lev took her attention yesterday. You were busy charming the other girl."

"Where is Lev anyway?" Kozume looks around the gym. Everyone in the volleyball team is here but him.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

You were planning to head home after school but you received a text from Lev. Walking over to the gym, you pop your head inside. The tall grey haired guy you're looking for is no where to be seen. "Y/N?" Kuroo notices you and calls out to you. You cringe when you hear Kuroo. He runs over to you with a grin. "What are you doing here? Did you miss me that badly?"

"As if." You scoff. "Lev told me to come here."

"Lev?" Kuroo tilts his head at you. "He's not here." You look at your phone again to make sure you read the location correctly. "Ah, since you're here Yaku has something to ask you." Kuroo grins mischievously. You didn't like that expression on him. "YAKU! LOOK WHO'S HERE!" Kuroo shouts across the gym. Yaku and Kozume turn their attention towards the gym entrance. Yaku hurries over to you and Kuroo, Kozume slowly following behind. You look over to Yaku with a raised eyebrow, waiting for him to speak up.

"Are you doing anything this weekend Y/L/N?" Yaku looks at you expectantly. "Not that I know of." Yaku perks up when he hears your response. "Did you want to spend a day with your senior then?"

"HEY. WAIT." Lev shouts from behind you, making you tense up. "I WAS GOING TO ASK Y/L/N OUT FOR THE WEEKEND." Yaku crosses his arms, glaring at Lev. "Where were you during practice?" Lev ignores Yaku and turns you towards him. "Sorry for making you wait Y/L/N. You didn't answer Yaku yet, right? You should spend time with me instead. He'll just bore you." Lev smiles towards you. "What?" You can hear the irritation in Yaku's voice. Not wanting this situation to escalate any further you decide to decline them both.

"Sorry, I don't want to be forced to pick between the two of you so I think I should not go with anyone." You step away from the two. "Told you, Yaku. She won't easily go with you." Kuroo doesn't hold back his laughter. "Poor Lev." Kozume murmurs. Lev falls to his knees and groans loudly. "THIS IS YOUR FAULT YAKU." Lev shouts out. "WANT TO SAY THAT AGAIN?!" Yaku lifts his shirt sleeve up to intimidate Lev. "You can't intimidate me, shortie." Lev stands up, towering Yaku. You notice a dark cloud loom over Yaku from Lev's jab. Lev also notices the temperature drop between the two and quickly runs away. Yaku bolts behind Lev, the two yelling at one another.

"Well, I guess I'll go home now." You relax your shoulders, turning your attention to Kuroo and Kozume. "Good luck with practice." You turn around to walk away but Kuroo grabs the collar of your shirt. "Wait a minute." You reach your arm back to pull Kuroo's hand away from the back of your collar. "What is it now Tetsurō?" You grumble out. "Did you want to hang out with us during practice?" Kuroo smiles at you when he looks into your eyes. "I haven't played since we were kids." You give Kuroo a lame excuse. 

Kuroo raises an eyebrow, a mischievous smirk on his face. You watch Kuroo walk backwards, giving the two of you a large distance. Your eye twitches when you realize he's holding a volleyball. Kuroo throws the volleyball forward and Kozume readies himself to block the ball for you. Your muscles react to seeing the ball fly towards you. Dropping your things, you lunge forward, easily returning Kuroo's serve. Kozume didn't have enough time to realize you're in front of him. 

"You haven't played since we were kids...right?" Kuroo sticks his tongue out at you. You avert your eyes away from him, puffing out your cheeks. "Whatever." You walk back to pick up your backpack. Kozume looks at you in surprise. "Amazed, Kenma?" Kuroo walks over to Kozume, resting his elbow on Kozume's shoulder. "Have you thought about joining the girls volleyball club Y/N?" Kozume asks you. Shaking your head you say no. "I'd prefer to play for fun." 

"Could you play for fun today?" Kozume hesitantly asks you. "She already declined us Kenma." Kuroo leans off Kozume's shoulder. Nibbling your bottom lip, you lower your gaze to your skirt. It's not ideal for you to play in a skirt with the constant high jumping. You do have your gym uniform in your backpack. Kozume quietly watches you ponder on the thought. "I guess it wouldn't hurt if I stayed." You look over to Kozume. Kuroo walks over to you, pulling your cheek. 

"I'm seriously thinking you like to be sweet to everyone else but me." 

"Tetsurō!" You pry Kuroo's fingers off your cheek. A visible red mark now appears. Knitting your brows together, you extend your hand up to Kuroo's face, pulling his cheeks just as hard. "AH. OKAY, OKAY. STOP." Kuroo shouts when he feels the sharp pain. Letting go of Kuroo's cheek you excuse yourself to go change. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

You return back to the gym feeling a bit self conscious in the your gym uniform, especially the tight shorts. "Y/L/N is going to play volleyball with you two?" Lev clenches his fists together, eyes wide. "I WANT TO PLAY TOO." Yaku slaps Lev in the back. "You still need to go do your laps before you can play anything." You quietly walk up behind the two. "You really don't like Lev, do you Yaku?" Yaku startles when he turns to look at you, his eyes first on your face before he lowers them. Lev notices Yaku's curious eyes and blocks him from you. 

"Could I join in with you guys?" Lev's determined expression makes you smile. His energetic personality and the way he carries himself reminds you of a small child. He's too adorable for you to decline. You wouldn't want to reject him twice in one day. "Sure, you'll make it an even number if you do." A small smile forms on your face when you see Lev grin from ear to ear. "You're so kind to me Y/L/N!" Lev blushes, containing his happiness by balling up his hands together. Yaku narrows his eyes on Lev. "I'm playing too." Lev's happiness deflates when he hears Yaku. "You can't! We'll be an odd number team." 

"Kuroo and Kenma don't need a third player. They're good enough as a duo." Yaku looks over to the two who are talking on the opposite side of the net. You place your hand on Lev's arm, he freezes under your touch. "Let's just let Yaku play on our side. The main point is to have fun. I don't plan to get competitive." You release your hand from Lev's arm and he fumbles a nod. You walk over to the net and call out to the two. They turn their eyes towards you. 

"Are the two newlyweds beside you done bickering?" Kuroo teases. Yaku and Lev both glare at Kuroo. "Stop taunting my teammates." You glare at Kuroo. Kuroo walks over to the net and stares at you. "That gym uniform looks cute on you Y/N. I hope those two can focus on the game with you up front." Your glare softens slightly when you feel your face heat up. Kozume pulls Kuroo away from the net. "Stop teasing Y/N. I'll purposely sabotage our side." Kuroo whips his head over to Kozume. "You better not! I'm not going easy on Y/N. She's scary when she gets serious." 

"Enough talking Tetsurō, let's start." You no longer plan to play this game for fun. You walk towards the center of your side. Your eyes flickering. Yaku and Lev notice your change of aura. The two feeling slightly nervous. 


	20. Close win

"Looks like I annoyed her." Kuroo mutters to Kozume. "Alright, let's start!" Kuroo shouts towards you and the others. It's been a few years since you've played volleyball but you're glad your reflexes are still on hyper drive. Kozume gracefully serves the ball and your eyes focus on the volleyball. Yaku receives the ball and calls out to Lev. "Y/L/N!" Lev sets the ball up for you, the set up slightly higher than you are used to. You wait till the last second to jump. If you remember correctly, Kuroo is hell of a blocker. His spiky black hair whizzes in the corner of your eye.

You focus on Kuroo's eyes, gauging where he plans to block you. Kuroo flashes a cocky smirk at you when he sees your positioning. Your hand gently hits against the volleyball, just hitting Kuroo lightly against his finger tips. Kuroo widens his eyes, he didn't anticipate for you to hit the ball so lightly. The ball falls to the ground with a thud and the two of you land on your feet. Kuroo stares at the ball on the ground before turning his attention to you. You stick your tongue out, a cheeky smile on your face. "Don't forget who played with you when we were kids Tetsurō."

Kuroo furrows his brows together, a smirk on his face. "I have to say, seeing you this cocky is sexy Y/N."

"Shut up." You walk away from the net. The next few minutes go by in silent rivalry between you and Kuroo. The others barely keeping up to assist the two of you. Kuroo is in the lead by a single point. You start to feel yourself weaken. Your legs burning and aching from never being used this physically in years. "Getting exhausted Y/N?" Kuroo says with a sly smile, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. You slowly straighten yourself up from crouching over your knees. Your redden face and sweat makes it visible to others that you're exhausted. Pursing your lips together, you exhale.

"I'm not letting you win." You barely say those words to Kuroo, you are too tired to even speak. "You'll need two more points then." Kuroo chuckles, holding the ball in his hand. "Y/L/N, should we switch positions?" Lev calls out to you. You turn around and shake your head. "I want to see Kuroo's face up front and personal when he loses." You form a weak smile, refocusing ahead. Kuroo overhears you and forms a lopsided smirk. He narrows his eyes on Kozume.

"Don't hold back on me Kenma." Kozume gives Kuroo a deadpan expression. He slowly runs up and throws the volleyball into the air, startling you with a float jump. Yaku quickly changes his positioning and barely makes a hit against the ball. "Y/L/N!" Lev eyes the flying ball and passes it towards you. Bending your legs you launch up, a shocking pain runs up your thigh and you quickly fall back down. You wince in pain, falling on your butt. "Y/L/N!?" Lev hurries over to your side and notices you squeezing your right leg. 

Kuroo hurries over to your side, placing his hand over yours. "Hey, are you alright?!" 

"No, I lost to you." You bite back your tears, a frown on your face. Kuroo's worried expression softens. "Idiot, you're worried about that?" Kuroo flicks your forehead, your tears forming on the corner of your eyes. "Are you hurt anywhere Y/N?" Kozume squats in front of you. Yaku also eyes you from behind Lev. "I'll be fine. I just had a random cramp." Lowering your eyes you mumble, "The timing couldn't be later though?" The others relax their shoulders, each one releasing their held breaths. Kuroo stands up and extends his hand, "Here, get up so you can stand on it. That'll probably help." You comply to Kuroo, taking his large hand in your small ones. You press some weight onto your right leg, biting your lip. 

The others stand up and wipe the sweat off their faces. "Other than your cramp scene, that was a pretty fun game." Yaku smiles to the group. "Yeah! We might've lost but I still think we won. Seeing someone keep up with Kuroo is pretty amazing. Especially someone who just plays for fun." Lev smiles at you, hyping you up. Kuroo releases his hold on your hand and places his hands on his sides. "I'm pretty amazed too. I forgot how competitive you are Y/N." Feeling the cramp loosen, you look up to Kuroo, your brows furrowed together. "Next time I'll make sure to win." 

Kuroo gently places a hand on your head. "Sure. Probably in your dreams, but sure Y/N."

"I don't know Kuro...Y/N might prove you wrong. If she didn't have a leg cramp she could've stolen the game from us." Kozume speaks up, looking at you and then Kuroo. Kuroo wears a smug grin. "But fate is on my side and we are the victors." You pull Kuroo's hand off of your head, turning to look at Yaku and Lev. You bow slightly to the two and thank them for their hard work. "I should get changed and head home." You say your goodbyes and hurry off to the changing rooms. 

"Y/L/N keeps surprising me." Lev stares at the empty gym entrance. He places a hand over his chest. "My heart...it aches for the ice princess." 

"Shut up." Kozume slaps Lev in the back. Yaku and Kuroo both laugh at Lev who's doubled over on his knees. "She's not an ice princess." Kozume corrects Lev. Lev looks up at Kozume, his lips part open but he quickly closes them. Kozume raises an eyebrow at Lev. "She still is technically. She's just warming up to us." Lev murmurs. Lev stands up, looking down at Kozume. "My heart really wavers for Y/L/N though. I think it might've been love at first sight." Kozume walks past Lev, an odd feeling in his chest. "I don't want to hear your feelings Lev." 

"You're so mean Kenma!" Lev follows after him, whining. "I guess we should also get ready to head home." Yaku looks over at Kuroo. "Do you have more energy to practice Yaku?" Kuroo raises an eyebrow, the two heading out of the gym after placing the volleyball away. "Fuck no. That game was more intense than an official game." 


	21. Intertwined hands

Changing back into your uniform, you make your way towards the school gates. Your hands fumble to fix your hair into a ponytail. "Y/N!" An unfamiliar loud voice calls out to you. You raise an eyebrow, slowly turning around. You're surprised when you see Kozume run up to you. 

_Was that voice Kozume's?_

Kozume runs over to your side while you finish tying your hair into a ponytail with your hair tie. "Did you just yell for me Kenma?" 

"Yeah." Kozume takes a deep breath. "Let's go home together." You look at Kozume blankly. Something about him is different right now. It's unusual for him to shout and go out of his way. "Should we wait for Tetsurō?" Your eyes glance past Kozume but Kozume pulls your attention back to him. His hand grabs onto your wrist. "Ah..." You part your lips slightly, blinking slowly. Kozume doesn't say anything when he walks ahead, pulling you along. You lower your eyes to Kozume's hand, he holds onto your wrist tightly. Flicking your eyes up, you stare at Kozume's back. 

_Did someone agitate him? Was it Kuroo?_

Your footsteps slow into a halt. "Kenma, did someone make you angry?" Your soft tone reaches Kozume's ears, making him freeze. He slowly turns around to look at you. The sunset glow splatters your surroundings and you see a shadow cast over Kozume. You feel him loosen his grip on your wrist. His golden eyes slowly meet yours and a gentle breeze blows through your bangs. Kozume bites his lower lip, his brows knitting together. You notice the troubled expression he's making. Carefully, you take a step forward. "Should I go yell at them?" 

Kozume shakes his head in silence. You patiently wait for Kozume to speak up. His hand squeezes against your wrist again and you bite your tongue. "Y-You're hurting me Kenma." You squeak out. "Sorry." Kozume speaks lowly. "I can't seem to find the right words to tell you right now." Kozume lowers his head, his hair falling over his face. You sense a sadness and irritable tone in his voice. You ponder on what you should do. Kozume seemed to find his own way to comfort you when you were upset. 

_What could you do?_

Y/L/N wiggles her wrist out of Kozume's hand and his eyes wavers slightly. For a split second Kozume feels lonely. You nervously intertwine your fingers with Kozume's, giving his hand a slight squeeze. Kozume raises his head up and looks at you. You stare back at him with blushing cheeks. "I'm right here when you want to talk Kenma." You form a small smile towards him. "Let's make our way to the train station." You're the one leading now with Kozume following behind you. His golden eyes stare down at your intertwine hands. He feels a sense of relief when he sees Y/N's hand in his. Kozume didn't understand these emotions and it terrified him. It's not the same emotion he gets when a new game is released or when he completes an anime series. 

Those feelings are euphoric while this current emotion he's feeling is anxious. Kozume worries that if he doesn't keep an eye on Y/N, something will happen. Something he wouldn't be able to control or predict. No amount of video games will help Kozume understand the emotions he's having right now. The two of you enter Tokyo station. You notice the light amount of crowds when you walk inside. "Looks like the rush is gone for now." You say to Kozume. Kozume nods, the two of you standing closely to one another. You didn't have to wait long for your train to arrive. The bustling noise of the train echoes from the tunnel. 

When the train comes to a halt, the two of you step inside. You lead Kozume over to back of the train and the two of you sit down. Now that you're sitting, you feel your exhaustion wash over you. A yawn creeps out of your lips and you cover your mouth with your free hand. Kozume eyes you from the corner of his eye. You blink away the sleepy tears and relax in your seat. Kozume busies his other hand with his phone. The train starts to move again, making the two of you sway slightly. With the silence of the train and your exhaustion, you easily feel your eyelids grow heavy. You try to stay awake but the warmth of Kozume next to you pulls you into slumber. You close your eyes and start to doze off. 

Kozume stiffens when he feels Y/N's head rest on his shoulder. His eyes glance over to his shoulder and he sees Y/N's sleeping face. This is the third time she's fallen asleep in public. Kozume feels his chest tighten and his heart race rapidly. Pulling his eyes away from Y/N's sleeping face, he lowers them to his phone. 

Kozume sighs, closing out of the chat with Kuroo. He decides to pull up a web browser. The internet would probably have a better answer for him. The results pop up with a heart attack or anxiety attack. Kozume mentally groans at the results. He slides his phone back into his pocket. Y/N's grip on Kozume loosens when she falls into a deeper slumber. Kozume lowers his eyes to their intertwined hands and tightens his grip on her. Pressing his lips together, he looks over to Y/N. The faint smell of strawberries and sweat fills his nostrils. Kozume starts to grows very aware of how close the two are. Nervously, Kenma extends his trembling hand towards Y/N's face. He carefully tucks her bangs behind her ear. Kozume's body tenses when his finger grazes against her ear. 

There's no way the cause of his racing heart rate and tight chest is from a heart or anxiety attack. 


	22. Is it a date or?

"Y/N." A soft voice calls out to you, stirring you awake from your dream. You slowly open your eyes and look up to see Kozume's face. "Kenma?" You softly say his name. Lifting your head up, you rub your eyes with your free hand. "Did I fall asleep on you? I'm sorry." Kozume shakes his head silently to your apology. "You worked hard today." Kozume forms a small smile beside you. Your eyes make their way to Kozume's smiling face. You look at him in silence, a soft giggle escaping your lips. "I always feel so lucky when I see you smile Kenma." 

Kozume's smile falters and he feels the tips of his ears heat up. You don't notice however when you see the train doors open and your stop is flashing on the overhead. Standing up, you pull Kozume along. You exit out of the train station, feeling your stomach grumble. You flush in embarrassment and pray Kozume didn't hear. "Someone's hungry." Kozume bluntly says next to you. "W-Well, all of that running and jumping took a lot out of me." You slur your words. Kozume holds back his chuckle and tugs on your hand slightly. "Should we get a snack to hold you over?" Pursing your lips, you shamelessly nod. 

The two of you take a short detour to the convenience store. Kozume releases his hold on your hand and follows behind you down the aisle. You scan the selection of snacks, nothing catching your eye. With a frown, you walk over to the baked dessert section. Kozume reaches over for an apple pie beside you. "Apple pie?" You look at the dessert in Kozume's hand. "It's my favorite." Kozume answers you. "Really? That's cute." You speak aloud, reaching for an apple pie too. 

Kozume lowers his eyes when he hears Y/N say the word cute. Something about that makes him flustered. "Let's go pay for these." You call out to Kozume, a smile on your face. The two of you place your pies on the counter and the cashier rings the two of you up. You reach into your skirt pocket for your change but Kozume beats you to it and pays for the both of you. "Have a good evening." The cashier smiles at the two of you. Kozume picks up the two pies and you thank the cashier before following after Kozume. The sound of bells on the door rings when you open and close the door behind you.

"Kenma I could've paid it for us. I am the one that got hungry." You sheepishly speak next to Kozume. He hands you the apple pie. "It's fine." Kozume looks over to you. Despite his lips not forming a smile, you can see the smile in his eyes. "Thank you." You whisper to Kozume, feeling a smile creep onto your face. The two of you silently walk towards the neighborhood, eating your apple pies. When the two of you enter the neighborhood, you make your way towards Kozume's house. "Thanks for accompanying me Kenma." You turn around to face him. "I could walk the rest of the way by myself. Go in and get some rest." 

Kozume idles in front of you. "I'll go in when I see you off." Kozume glances across the street towards your house. "There's no need. It's literally right there." You giggle softly. Kozume shakes his head, his legs walking across the street. Releasing a sigh, you smile when you follow after him. "I think Tetsurō and I's stubbornness is rubbing off on you Kenma." 

"Probably." Kozume answers you. He stops at your front door and waits for you to take your keys out. With your house key in hand, you insert it in the key slot and open the door. "Well, thank you for walking me to the door Kenma." Kozume nods his head and waits for you to walk inside. You try to hide your smile from his concern. Stepping inside you raise a hand up to wave to him. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Night Kenma." You look at Kozume expectantly, waiting for him to also say goodbye. But you notice the slight twitch in his lips. His mind seems elsewhere while he looks directly at you. 

"Y/N." Kozume says your name softly. You patiently listen to Kozume. "Are you free this weekend?" Kozume hides his trembling hands in his jacket pockets. "Yeah, I am." You pretend to not notice Kozume's nervous behavior. "Did you want to spend a day in Tokyo together? You've been here for over a month and I haven't seen you explore Tokyo." Kozume starts to ramble, his eyes downcast. "Are you sure? Did you not have video games to catch up on?" You call out to Kozume, catching his eyes back to you. "They're not going anywhere." Kozume answers you curtly. 

"I'm not either." You answer him with a giggle. Kozume bites his lower lip, his fingernails digging into his palm. "What time should I be ready by?" Kozume releases his fists and relaxes his stiff shoulders. "I'll drop by around 10AM." 

"Okay, I'll look forward to the weekend then." A smile graces your face and Kozume nods. "Night Kenma." Kozume looks at you, a sparkle in his eyes. "Sweet dreams Y/N." You close the door behind you and feel the heat in your cheeks. Hiding your face in your palms, you shake your head. "I'm hanging out with Kenma this weekend." You can't contain your happiness, your legs rushing up the stairs. Turning on the bedroom light, you plop onto your bed. Your eyes staring up at the ceiling. "Wait...is this a date?! Or..." 

_Or are you just hanging out as friends?_

Kozume notices Y/N's bedroom light is on. The feeling in his legs returning to him. Kozume releases a distressed groan under his breath. His fingers running through his hair. Kozume still feels the anxiety linger in his palms. Kozume makes his way across the street, his mind clouded over. He feared that Y/N would reject him like Lev and Yaku. But she didn't. With a smile on his face, Kozume thinks about the upcoming weekend ahead. He wishes the rest of the school days will hurry up.


	23. Friendly outing?

"Dad, do I look okay?" You stare at yourself in the mirror by the foyer. With the start of fall you decide to put on a pair of denim jeans, a white tank top, and a light pink cardigan. You didn't have enough time to curl your hair so you toss it up in a high bun. Dad lowers his phone from his hand, turning around to look at you from the sofa in the living room. "Hm, maybe apply a lip tint?" You look at your face instead of your hair, your eyes widening. "Good idea dad." You run upstairs to grab a lip tint, quickly applying it over your lips. Walking downstairs you slide the lip tint into your mini backpack.

"Are you going out with Kuroo?" Dad's attention is back on his phone when you reach the bottom steps. "Kenma." You correct him. "Is it a date?" Dad's interest is peaked and he turns to look at you again. "I..." Your lips pucker. "I don't know actually." Raising an eyebrow, dad tilt's his head. "So it's just a friendly outing?" You shrug. "He didn't state that it was a date...so I guess?" 

"Are you okay with that?" You ponder on dad's question. 

_Are you?_

The sound of the doorbell pulls you away from your thoughts. Your body tenses and your dad looks over to the door. "Well, don't leave him hanging." Dad chuckles, getting off of the sofa. Shaking your hands, you try to rid the nerves. You take a deep breath and open the door, your breath quickly escaping you. You slowly take in Kozume in front of you. Kozume's eyes are downcast until he looks over to you. He looks just as surprised. Kozume wears a black beanie, white tee, baggie black pants, red/black windbreaker, a black fanny pack across his chest, and red/black sneakers.

"Kenma, you look really cool." Kozume hears the amazement in your voice. "Those colors remind me of the volleyball uniform." You giggle at the thought. Kozume silently nods, his cheeks a soft shade of pink. "Nice to see you Kozume." Dad slides himself into the conversation, standing behind you. You take a step to the side for your dad. "Good morning, sir." Kozume bows. "Is it okay if I take Y/N to sight see Tokyo?" Dad looks over to you, your eyes telling him to not let you down. "Of course. Just make sure she comes back home at a decent hour." Dad warmly smiles towards Kozume. "Keep her safe for me." Dad nudges you outside the door and you stammer a quick goodbye before the door is closed in front of you. 

"Should we get going then?" You look over to Kozume. You feel unusually nervous today but you don't want Kozume to notice your awkwardness. Kozume nods, walking ahead. You keep your distance, your hands fiddling the straps of your backpack. "You look cute Y/N." Kozume's low voice fills your ears. He turns to look at your flushing face. "Will that cardigan keep you warm? It's getting colder now." 

"I'll be fine." You blurt out. Your face is already warm enough from blushing. Kozume slows down to walk next to you, his hands in his pockets. "Oh, does Tetsurō know we're hanging out today?" You look over to Kozume, his eyes staring ahead. "Yeah. He was upset I didn't invite him." Kozume shrugs. "It'd be weird to invite him." 

"Weird? We're all friends." You purposely try to bait Kozume. You wanted to hear from him if this is a date or not. "Yeah...but." Kozume ponders on his words. His focus is distracted when the two of you arrive at the train station. "Oh, I forgot to ask. Is there somewhere specific you want to go?" You hold back your groan when Kozume looks over at you. "Um..." You nervously avoid his eyes. 

_Should you go somewhere Kozume will feel comfortable with?_

"Maybe Harajuku?" Kozume suggests something to you. Furrowing your brows, you bite your bottom lip. "Wouldn't it be a bit too crowded? I don't want you to feel uncomfortable." You softly say under your breath, looking down. Kozume's heart wavers when he hears Y/N worry about him. His pointer finger gently pokes her forehead. "If that's where you want to go, I'll tough it out." Kozume's golden eyes are gentle. "I've never been there myself so it'll be new to the both of us." Kozume lowers his hand back to his side.

Your eyes widen. "Haven't you lived here for years?" Kozume nods. "Harajuku doesn't really have anything for me so I never bothered to explore that part. I'm usually roaming around Akihabara with Kuro." 

_That makes sense._

"Let's go then." You grow excited just thinking about the new things you both will see.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

"Kuroo...are you sure we should be doing this?" Lev peaks behind Kuroo's shoulder. The two of them watching Kozume and Y/N from afar. "We shouldn't. But I don't care. How dare those two go off together and leave me alone." Kuroo crosses his arms, a scowl on his face. "You can't go with them if they're on a date." Yaku sounds annoyed when he speaks. Lev looks behind him. "I'm surprised you came Yaku." 

"Shut up. I'm surprised you're even awake right now." Yaku grumbles out. "Kenma didn't say it was a date. So I should've been able to join the two." Kuroo mumbles to himself. He waves the two forward. "Let's go, they're boarding the train."

"I really think this is a bad idea..." Lev's brows knit together while the three of them hop into the train. "We'll just pretend that the three of us decided to hang out together." Kuroo quickly comes up with a lie. "Sounds like you already made these lies up last night." Yaku chuckles when he looks at Kuroo. "Hey Kuroo, can you be honest with me for a second." Lev speaks up. Kuroo turns his attention away from Kozume and Y/N for a brief moment. 

"What is it?"

Lev purses his lips before speaking up. "You don't have feelings for Y/L/N anymore, right?" 

"No. Why?" Kuroo answers honestly and raises an eyebrow. Lev squeezes his eyes shut and a deep frown is on his face. "Well I do and following her like this is only making my heart ache."

"Oh, shut up." Yaku elbows Lev in the side. Kuroo chuckles softly at Lev. "Wait, you were serious about liking Y/N? I thought you were just saying stupid things like usual." Lev's face contorts into distress. "NO! I WAS SERIOUS!" 

"Idiot!" Yaku pulls Lev down when a few stares are thrown in their direction. "Can you not whisper?!" Kuroo quickly ducks down too. "Sorry, I just wanted to show Kuroo how passionate I am." Lev squeaks out an apology. "You couldn't do that when we get out of the train?" Yaku grumbles. The three slowly stand up straight. "What do you even like about Y/N?" Kuroo looks at Lev with a curious expression. With every point Lev states, he raises a finger up. "She's pretty. She's kind. She doesn't stand for people's bullshit. She likes volleyball. She's full of surprises and mystery. She also knows how to put you in your place Kuroo." Lev grins when he says the last point.

Kuroo glares at him, grabbing a handful of Lev's hair. "Too bad she isn't here right now to stop me." Lev clenches his teeth, holding back his yells. Yaku crosses his arms, amused with the whole situation. "Everything you stated is what she shows in front of others. You haven't listed any of her inner qualities." Yaku points out. "I can say the same things you said. That doesn't mean it's love though." Lev flicks his eyes over to Yaku, clenching onto his chest. "Well, I can't really show you the way she makes my heart feels." 

"Then explain it." Kuroo releases Lev's hair and slides his hands in his pocket. Lev runs his fingers through his hair, attempting to straighten it. "My heart goes doki doki and I feel all warm and fuzzy inside."Yaku chuckles, hiding his mouth. "Doki doki? What are you? A kid?" Lev purses his lips together, irritated by Yaku. "You guys said for me to explain it and I did!"

"Does she make you feel special?" Kuroo asks Lev a question. "Y-Yeah! I feel like she's welcoming me with open arms every time I see her."

"Does she take your breath away when you see her?" Lev ponders on the question. "Is she always on your mind even when you try to think about something else?" Lev falls into a deeper ponder from the next question. "Do you have dreams of the two of you together?" Yaku throws in another question. "If so are they naughty dreams?" Kuroo teases. Lev blushes and hides his face with his hands. "You guys are just teasing me now." Yaku and Kuroo silently laugh at Lev. 

"Oh, looks like they're getting off at this stop." Yaku notices the two inching closer to the train doors. "We will too." Kuroo smirks, weaving his way through to the doors in front of him.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

"Where did those two run off to?" Yaku looks at the busy train station, his eyes flicking left and right. Lev also tries to look for the two, barely catching sight of them. "Found them!" Lev hurries off, leaving Kuroo and Yaku to tail behind him. The three quickly run out of the station and find themselves in the middle of the bustling city. "Are they going to Harajuku?" Yaku raises an eyebrow when he notices all the colorful clothes walking past him. 

"Wow! I've never been, this is exciting." Lev's eyes glimmer and the three carefully follow Kozume and Y/N. "We might as well enjoy ourselves." Kuroo shrugs, smiling.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Kozume and you both reach the main entrance of Harajuku. You feel slight relief that the crowds here are not insanely packed yet. It must still be early for most people. Your eyes are attracted to many of the stores. "You lead the way Y/N. I'll be right next to you." Kozume says, noticing your eagerness. "Okay." You smile brightly, running towards a store with hair accessories. Your eyes scan the filled walls of hair clips. Many are in colorful pastels and adorable designs. Kozume doesn't hide the smile he wears when he looks at Y/N's happy expression. He only hides it when she looks over to him. 

"Do you think this looks cute Kenma?" You point over to a golden star hair clip. Kozume follows your gaze and sees the star hair clip. A simple minimalism hair clip compared to the other brightly colored ones around it. Kozume recalls an early memory of Y/N staring up at the Tokyo night sky. The distant expression she wore when she couldn't see the stars. Kozume reaches for the hair clip. He carefully clips the star on your hair bun. Your eyes widen briefly from Kozume's action. Your cheeks a soft pink. Kozume's golden eyes focus on the hair clip before he draws his eyes down to your face. 

His heart skips when he sees Y/N's blushing face. "Do you want the hair clip? It looks nice on you." Kozume speaks softly while averting his eyes away from you, a blush streaking across his face. "Yeah." You mutter a response. Kozume goes up to the register and tells the girl he wants to buy the hair clip that he placed in your hair. She rings him up and Kozume returns back to you. "I feel bad making you pay for something that you won't use."

Kozume looks at the hair clip and down to your eyes. "I know you'll make good use of it." Kozume extends his hand up towards the clip, readjusting it for you. "Should we continue looking around?" 

"Sure." You try to calm your nerves, walking out of the store and down the street. Lev, Kuroo, and Yaku stare at the store the two just exited. "I never knew Kenma could be such a charmer." Yaku makes a bewildered expression. "Which one did she buy?" Lev stares at all the hair clips on the wall. "I have to pick something better for her." Lev knits his brows together. "Stop being jealous, we have to go." Kuroo grabs Lev's arm and pulls him along. 

"This is unfair." Lev grumbles, crossing his arms. "Maybe you should take notes Lev." Yaku smirks. "Don't tell him that, he'll actually do it." Kuroo laughs, the three of them keeping their distance from Kozume and Y/N. 


	24. So it's not a date...

The two of you continue to go in and out of a few stores in the Harajuku strip. You notice the huge crowd forming at the main entrance and decide to enter another alley. "Should we take a break Kenma?" Kozume walks over to you, carefully staring at you. "Are you tired?"

"Just a bit...I think I overworked myself when I ran from one store to the next. I still feel like I missed some things too." You awkwardly laugh, finding yourself a vending machine. You insert a few coins and tap on the button for a peach flavored water."Did you want something Kenma?" Kozume stands in front of the vending machine. His finger taps on a green tea bottle. The sound of a thud falls at the bottom of the vending machine. You make sure to take your change back and the two of you find a spot to sit down. Luckily the little alleyway you turned in opened up to the main street. You easily find a bench for the two of you to sit down.

Several people walk the streets and you quietly observe them. "I've never seen so many people in one place before. This is the total opposite back in the countryside." You murmur to Kozume. You raise your water bottle to your lips and take a sip. "What was it like there?" Kozume asks you a question and you hold your gaze forward. "Slow and peaceful. The opposite of Tokyo's busy fast pace life." You turn your attention to Kozume. "I figured when my dad and I moved here that it would be a nice change of pace. But I think I was just running away from my problems. I wanted a distraction from the dark thoughts I had." You pull your eyes away from Kozume, lowering them to the bottle in your hand. With a weak smile, you stand up and stare down at Kozume.

"Should we go to Akihabara?" Kozume notices your mood dampen. "Y/N." You notice Kozume's serious tone, your eyebrow raising. "Yeah?"

"I'm here for you too if you need to talk." Kozume's golden eyes look directly into your eyes. Pursing your lips, a genuine smile graces your lips. "I don't want to burden you with my problems Kenma. Anyway, how do we get to Akihabara from here?" You turn around, looking at the city in front of you. Kozume nervously reaches out for your hand, pulling you towards him. You breath hitches when you feel yourself be pulled. Kozume holds your hand with two hands, his fingers giving you a gentle squeeze. Your eyes waver when you look down at Kozume. 

"It's unfair of you to let me lean on you but you don't do the same for me." Kozume's tone is stern, his eyes focused on you. "I may not be close to you like Kuroo is...and I may not know everything about you." Kozume's brows slowly knit together. "But I consider myself a friend of yours. Friends lean on each other when things are rough." Your parted lips close when you listen to Kozume's declaration. You didn't realize Kozume cared so much about you and your friendship. You pull your hand back, awkwardly tucking your bangs behind your ear. Nibbling on your bottom lip, you avert your eyes to the ground with blushing cheeks. 

"I didn't know our friendship meant a lot to you Kenma." 

"Of course. I don't make friends easily so I'm going to cherish the ones I do have." Kozume stands up, clutching his drink tightly in his right hand. At least you know where Kozume stands in your friendship. Maybe today is just a friendly outing. Kozume extends his hand to you, your eyes staring at it.

_But, do friends casually hold hands?_

"WHAT IS KENMA DOING?!" Lev frantically stares at the two from the corner of the alley. "I'm more curious about their conversation." Yaku peeks out from behind Lev. Kuroo walks back with drinks in his hands, noticing the two staring at Kozume and Y/N. "Did something interesting happen while I was away?" Yaku points towards the two. Kuroo notices Kozume's extended hand and Y/N's shy expression.

Kozume notices Y/N's hesitation and his embarrassment starts to grow. You raise your eyes up, "Kenma, you're not toying with me are you?" You blurt out your inner thoughts. But you quickly regret it when you realize your question might appear rude. You couldn't help but question his intentions. Especially with how close he is with Kuroo. Kuroo's bad behavior could rub off on Kozume. Kozume lowers his hand, your words surprising him. "Toying with you?" Kozume repeats your question. 

"Sorry, that was rude of me to ask." You lower your eyes. "I just don't think friends of the opposite gender casually hold hands like this. I...also hope you're not like Tetsurō." Kozume paralyzes when he realizes where your ideas are coming from. His heart drops when his mind crosses the thought of you comparing him to Kuroo. 

"Hm, the conversation doesn't seem to be going well." Yaku grimaces. Kuroo sneezes behind the two. "Are they talking about me?" Kuroo murmurs. "I wish we could get closer to eavesdrop..." Lev frowns when he sees Y/N's lowered head. 

"Sorry if my actions don't make sense Y/N." His eyes staring to the side. "You're the first friend I have that is a girl so I don't know how to act around you." You raise your head up to see Kozume's troubled expression. He tries his best to not scrunch his face but you see his eyebrows twitch. "I'll be sure to not give you the wrong impression of me." Kozume turns around feeling a bit dejected and you're quick to realize that your words hurt him. You mentally curse yourself for ruining the moment. You hurry to Kozume, placing yourself in front of him. 

"Sorry Kenma. I didn't mean to make you upset. I just..." You bite your tongue, squeezing the water bottle in your hand. Your eyes look down at first before you steel your nerves to look at Kozume. "Is this a date? Or am I reading into things too deeply?" Kozume's distant look in his eyes evaporates when he looks at your troubled expression. He processes your words and the events that's happened so far today. Realization hits him to why you made the assumption. Releasing a dragged out exhale, Kozume relaxes his shoulders. "So that's why you said that..." Kozume feels relieved. He feared Y/N saw him negatively. Being compared to Kuroo isn't a compliment to him. 

You patiently wait for his answer, your anxiety crawling in your palms. Kozume hesitates to answer at first. "It's not a date Y/N." You feel your anxiety relax but there is an aching feeling in the back of your mind from his words. A small smile forms on your face. "Ah...okay." You turn around, your back to Kozume. Kozume bites his inner cheek, unsure how to read her response. He didn't know if she is upset or relieved. "We should get going, it looks like there's more people out." You change the topic, turning to look at Kozume. Kozume snaps out of his thoughts and nods his head. He leads the two of you towards the station to take another train ride to Akihabara. 

"Y/N looks a bit sad now." Lev mumbles, he steps out of the alleyway. "I think Kenma just rejected her." Yaku looks at the two cross the street. Kuroo is oddly quiet, his eyes trained on Y/N's back. "Do you think they like each other?" Kuroo speaks aloud. "I feel like I'm seeing two people who are unsure of themselves." 

"For once I think you said something smart Kuroo." Yaku chuckles, the three of them crossing the street. "What?! How did you see that? Are we looking at the same people?" Lev turns to look at Kuroo. Kuroo ponders on the situation. "They're both the types to not express their feelings to others. Y/N fakes it till she makes it while Kenma completely shuts you out if you try to make him explain his emotions." Kuroo looks at Lev and Yaku. The gears in his mind slowly turning. "Or maybe you're thinking too hard on this Kuroo." Lev blurts out, not wanting to believe anything. 

Yaku sighs, shaking his head. "There's no way to help those two if one of them does like the other." 


	25. Right here

Your eyes light up when Kozume leads you into a building with several flights of stairs all containing anime related merchandise. You forget the awkward tension from earlier when you enter the third store. Several display cases fill the room with a variety of figures. Many large and small ones and each one a different character. Kozume beelines to a display case and your eyes follow him. For the first time today you see Kozume's eyes light up. He's staring at a gundam figure. You quietly walk over to him, staring at the same figure. Your eyes lower to the price tag and notice the several zero's next to the three. 

_31,766.55 YEN?!_

The color in your face drains when you look at the figure. "I'll be right back Y/N. Stay right here." Kozume hurries off and you stare at the figure in disbelief. "You're 31,766.55 yen??" You whisper towards the inanimate object.

"I've never seen a girl interested in gundams before." An unfamiliar voice speaks next to you. You look over to see a stranger in front of you. The guy seemingly older than you.

_Maybe a university student?_

"Um." You stiffen, unsure what his motive is. "Are you by yourself? We could go to a café and talk about gundams." The guy takes a step closer to you. 

_He's really pushy for a stranger. Is this his way of flirting?_

"Wait who's that guy?" Yaku narrows his eyes on the stranger in front of Y/L/N. "I don't know. Is he trying to make small talk with Y/L/N?" Lev sounds nervous when he sees the sly smirk on the guys face. "Where's Kozume?" Kuroo raises his head up, scanning the room. "Look at the smug look on his face. I think he's trying to pick Y/N up. I forgot how many creepers roam around here." Yaku grumbles. "We should step in." Lev inches his way forward but Kuroo pulls him back. Lev turns his head to look at Kuroo, knitting his brows. "Why are you stopping me Kuroo? Y/L/N is in a bad situation." 

"I know she is. Let's just think about this rationally for a second. We don't want to cause a scene." Kuroo mumbles. "Wow, I've never seen you think so much in one day Kuroo." Yaku chuckles dryly. 

"I'm not interested." You bluntly say to the stranger, taking one step back. However, he takes one step forward.

_This guy doesn't understand no?_

"You're going to turn down a handsome guy like me?" A dry chuckle escapes his lips, his fingers running through his hair. 

_He's using manipulation now?_

You narrow your eyes, no longer playing nice. "Is this how you usually pick up high school girls?" The guy pierces his eyes towards you, noticing your change of tone. "I'm not a stupid high school student that will easily be swayed by a handsome face, sir." You stand your ground, keeping your glare on him. He straightens himself, smirking. "Oh? Maybe I misjudged you. You're a feisty one." Your eyes lock onto his hand that extends towards your wrist. You start to pull your wrist away when you feel someone against your back. Kozume places one hand around your waist and the other on the guys wrist. His golden eyes stare blankly at the guy. "Excuse me, I don't appreciate you hitting on my girlfriend." You hear Kozume's voice by your ear, his hold on you tight. 

Your eyes widen when you look at Kozume from the corner of your eye, your heart hammering against your rib cage. The guy yanks his hand away from Kozume's clenching hand. Clicking his tongue, he shoots a glare at the two of you before walking away. When Kozume no longer sees him, he quickly pulls his hand away from your waist. His confidence is replaced with nervousness. "Sorry." Kozume weakly mutters out. You look over to see his pale face. His hand trembling when he places it over his heart. Kozume flicks his eyes over to you. "Are you okay?" 

You slowly come to your senses and nod your head. "Are you Kenma? You look like..." 

"Horrible?" Kozume groans softly. "That was horrifying. I think another ten years have been shaved off my life." 

"Another?" 

"The first ten disappeared when I stopped our classmate from hitting you." 

You purse your lips, feeling apologetic for making Kozume do things that he feared. "Sorry." You whisper. Regaining his composure, Kozume shakes his head. He nervously extends his hand towards your face, tucking your loose hair behind your ear. He sighs in relief when he looks at you with a small smile. "I do these things because I want to. I'm just glad I made it in time before something horrible happened." You stiffen when you see how adoring Kozume looks at you. You start to think deeper about his actions again. 

_Kozume's just looking out for you because you're a good friend of his. Nothing more._

You may tell yourself that but your heart thinks otherwise. It still beats rapidly when you look at Kozume. Clearing your throat, you look back at the figure. "Is there a reason you told me to stay here?" Kozume pulls his hand back and lights up again when he looks at the figure. "Yeah, I'm getting it."

"W-Wait what?!" Your voice comes out much louder than you anticipated. Kozume tries to hold back his chuckle from your outburst. "B-But it's 31,766.55 yen?!" You stammer your words out, pointing at the price tag. "That's actually pretty cheap for this kind of model." 

"What?!" 

Kozume smiles at you, his laughter pouring out. He tries to muffle his laughter with his hand. "W-Where do you even get 31,766.55 yen from Kenma? Are you actually a secret rich boy?" You blink in surprise. "I enter in gaming competitions in my free time and the money is slowly racking up." Kozume speaks as if that's a normal thing every high school student does. You stare at him in silence, you point at the figure again. "What's the highest price for this one?" 

"Probably around 84,710.80 yen." Kozume says the price nonchalantly. You're too shocked to even react. Kozume looks back at the figure and smiles. "I'm glad we went out today." Kozume whispers beside you. A store clerk spots Kozume and assists him with his purchase. You silently look at the figure being placed in a box before it's then placed in a bag and handed off to Kozume. Kozume thanks the clerk and the clerk wishes the two of you a good day. "Should we look at the other stores?" Kozume looks back at you. "Are you going to surprise me with another huge purchase?" You glance at Kozume.

Kozume shrugs. "If I see a good deal." 

"I envy you Kenma. You're cool and rich." You weakly mutter to yourself, walking ahead of him. Kozume cracks a small chuckle when he overhears you. 

Lev, Kuroo, and Yaku quickly hide behind a few display cases when they see the two heading up towards the stairs. Lev still isn't recovered from the interaction between Kozume and the stranger. "K-Kenma...I can't compete with him." Lev's face is red and he clenches his hands together. "Who knew Kenma could look so cool in front of a girl." Yaku smirks. "Even I would fall for him if I was a girl." Kuroo spaces out. Both him and Lev taken aback by Kozume. "Do you think Kenma would take me out and buy me expensive things?" Yaku looks at Lev and Kuroo. "He just drops 31,766.55 yen like it's nothing. I could use a sugar daddy." 

"And you say, I say stupid shit." Lev scoffs, walking away from Yaku and towards the staircase. "You aren't getting anything from Kenma. I'm his best friend so I deserve to be spoiled." Kuroo smirks at Yaku, following after Lev. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

After looking around in a few more stores, the two of you decide to go to an arcade as your last stop. Kozume walks over to a gun game and taps the high score board up. His eyes light up when he reads the screen. You tilt your head, staring at the list of names. "This 'applepi' person is ranked a lot." 

"That's me." Kozume says curtly. Your eyes widen and you turn to look at Kozume. "R-Really?" Kozume is surprising you constantly today. "Are you lying to me? Because I can be gullible at times..." Kozume pulls out his phone and opens a few app games, each one with the username 'applepi'. He then opens up his gallery and shows you photos of him in gaming competitions. "I also have a fanclub but...I hardly interact with them." Kozume slides his phone back in his pocket. You stare at him in shock. 

_Kozume has a fanclub?_

So many people would die to be in your position right now. You start to grow self conscious about yourself again. But this time it's for a different reason. "Is it okay for you to hang out with someone like me? You're like a famous person." Kozume notices Y/N's anxiousness. "You're overthinking again Y/N." 

"Sorry." You squeak out an apology. "No one knows who I am in the real world. They only know me as a person who excels in games on the internet." Kozume's words calms your emotions, your shoulders relaxing. "Since we're here, do you want to play something?" Kozume looks around the colorful arcade. You walk over to the photo booths lined up in the back of the arcade. "It's not exactly a game but, can we take photos together?" You point to one of the photo booths. Kozume looks at the photo booth, nervously staring at it. 

"It's okay if you don't want to Kenma." You notice his stiffness. A couple steps out of a nearby photo booth, the two linking arms and smiling at the photo strips in their hands. "They look so cute!" The girl squeals when she looks at the photos. "I'm glad you're happy." The boyfriend leans in to kiss her forehead. You purse your lips when you witness their interaction. 

"Now that I think about it...maybe this is more for couples." You go back on your word quickly, stepping away from the area. Kozume reaches out for your sleeve to stop you. "You don't want to take the photos?" Kozume's low voice speaks to you in the loud arcade. "Not if you're not comfortable with it Kenma." 

"Just don't expect me to smile too much." Kozume murmurs, pulling you by your sleeve inside the booth. Your heart warms up when Kozume and you enter the booth. 

"We can't see them!" Lev cries out. Kuroo and Yaku are distracted by the shooting game Kozume previously stared at. The two shooting at the zombies that are clawing their way towards the screen. "KUROO YOU'RE MISSING!" Yaku yells out, his face contorted from the zombies. "YOU ARE. LOOK AT YOUR HEALTH BAR." Kuroo shouts back. Lev turns around and yells at the two of them. "HEY! YOU TWO ARE FOOLING AROUND." 

Kozume nervously closes the curtain, placing his bag down on the ground. Your finger slides through the many options of themes on the touch screen. Kozume quietly stares at the screen. "There's so many choices..." You furrow your brows at the selection, unsure which one to pick. "Maybe this one?" Kozume points to a simplistic design. The frames are drawn with a crayon texture and the colors are soft toned. "Okay." You happily agree, tapping on the frame. The screen pops up with instructions stating there will be six photos taken and a three second timer. 

A loud countdown beep plays in the photo booth, startling you and Kozume. "Ah...I don't know how we should pose." You nervously fumble your words, staring at the camera. Kozume lowers his eyes, feeling nervous. The first two photos are awkward and you try to lighten the mood by making bunny ears behind Kozume's head. 

_'Click'_

Kozume turns his attention to, his cheeks turning a soft shade pink. "You look cute Kenma." You giggle out, staring at Kozume from the screen. You lower your hand when you hear another click sound. Kozume's eyes waver when he stares at your smiling face. "Your giggle is cute." Kozume mutters beside you, catching your attention. Your eyes widen and you're the one to blush now. You faintly hear another click when the two of you stare each other. Feeling shy, you turn around. Kozume smiles at your adorable reaction. The final click echoes in the photo booth and a bubbly magical sound rings out to announce the photo shoot is complete. The screen changes to an editor, allowing the two of you to place stickers on the photos. 

The two of you pick up the stylus on each side of the screen. A two minute timer starts for you to edit the images. Kozume is editing the first three photos while you have the last three photos. You drag a few smiley face stickers over to the images. Slowly lowering your eyes, you notice the smile on Kozume's face in the last image. "You smiled." Your eyes stare at the warm smile on Kozume's face when he looks at you from behind. Kozume presses his lips together, averting his eyes from the image. You tap the next tab of stickers and slide a few hearts around Kozume. 

Two minutes vanish from you when you lower the stylus back into it's place. The images print out a minute later and you lean down to take it out of the slot. You notice the several shy emoji's Kozume placed on his photo strip. He's even placed the date of today at the corner. He's also entered yours and his name on the photo strip. You're surprised by how adorably he decorated the image. You hand Kozume the images for him to take a look, the two of you lifting the curtain up to exit. Kozume readjusts the bag in his other hand to hold the photo strip. He slows his steps when he notices all the hearts Y/N's placed around him. 

"What's wrong Kenma?" You slow your pace. "Nothing." Kozume averts his eyes away from the picture, shyly handing it back to you. Not wanting to press the topic further, you take the photo back from him. Carefully you tear the photo in half, following the indented line. "Is it okay if I keep this side?" You raise the photo of Kozume's smile. "Sure." Kozume takes the other set in his hand. "Thank you again Kenma. I'm really happy I got to spend the day with you." You smile when you look at the photo again, turning your attention to him. 

Kozume blushes in the dark arcade. His hair falls over his face when he parts his lips slowly. "I'm happy too." Your smile widens when you hear Kozume speak. "I guess we should head home now. It's getting dark out." You hide the frown that's forming on your face. The two of you make your way towards the exit but you stop in your tracks when you notice three familiar faces. 

"LEV YOU'RE JUST AS BAD AS KUROO." Yaku shouts at Lev, his eyes glued to the large screen. "WHY ARE YOU COMING AT US SO FAST?!" Lev knits his brows together, clenching his teeth. "I TOLD YOU IT'S HARDER THAN IT LOOKS LEV." Kuroo grumbles, his hands to his sides. You place a hand on Kuroo's shoulder which startles him. "Tetsurō." You call out to him. Kuroo turns to face you, eyes wide. 

"Oh. HEY Y/N!" Kuroo awkwardly smiles at you. Both Yaku and Lev lower the fake guns when they hear Kuroo's booming voice. Lowering your hand to your side, you eye him curiously. "I figured it was you. I couldn't avoid that hair of yours." Kuroo grunts when he hears your response to him. "Why are you trying to avoid me, huh?!" Kuroo leans over you. You push him back with your hand on his forehead. "Because you're so loud, idiot." You learned your lesson last time when you placed your hand over his mouth. 

Lev looks over to Kozume who's silently watching you and Kuroo bicker. "Hey Kenma!" Lev's voice squeaks out in a nervous manner. Kozume shifts his eyes over to Lev. "Since when do you and Yaku hang out?" Kozume questions the two. "Uh." Lev stiffens. "We ran into each other." Yaku steps into the conversation. Kozume raises an eyebrow, not buying the reasoning. "Hey what's in your bag!" Lev changes the conversation. Kozume's sparks up when he lifts the box out of the bag to show Lev and Yaku. Lev's eyes sparkle when he sees the box. 

"What brought you out here Tetsurō?" Kuroo grins, expecting you to ask him that exact question. "To hang out with Lev and Yaku. BECAUSE YOU TWO DECIDED TO NOT INVITE ME." Kozume overhears Kuroo and turns his attention over to your conversation. "You spent one weekend with Y/N before." Kozume interjects into the conversation. "You did?" Lev's attention turns over to Kuroo. "You took her from me though." Kuroo claps back. "Only because you did something stupid to her." Kozume calmly retorts back. Lev and Yaku both glance back and forth at Kuroo and Kozume. The two look very comical from your position. 

"What did you do Kuroo?" Yaku curiously asks. Kuroo's eye twitches and he glances at you from the corner of his eye. "Let's just drop the conversation here." 

"What?! You can't just leave us hanging like that. The suspense is killing me!" Lev groans out. "It's uh...It's getting late we should all head home." Kuroo glances down at his watch, pushing Yaku and Lev out of the arcade. Kozume and you follow right behind them. Your eyes naturally glance up at the empty night sky. "It's a shame we don't get to see the stars in Tokyo." You whisper towards Kozume. Kozume lays his eyes on Y/N's face. "There's one right here." His low tone meets your ears. You furrow your brows at the sky. 

"Where? I don't see it Kenma." 

"Right here." Kozume pokes your nose. 

You lower your sights from the sky and turn to look at Kozume. You feel your heart skip a beat and you start to overthink again. Kozume watches your face slowly redden. Feeling embarrassed, you avert your eyes from Kozume and rush off to Kuroo. "W-WAIT FOR ME TETSURŌ!" A warm feeling envelopes Kozume, his heart racing. He mentally apologizes for teasing Y/N. A low chuckle escapes from his smile.


	26. What's your ideal boyfriend type?

Yawning, you step out of your house in your new school uniform. The only actual difference is that you're wearing a sweater now instead of a shirt. You question how the school doesn't think you'll be cold in a skirt during the upcoming fall and winter season. Kozume sees you tiredly walk down from your house entrance. He cups his hands together and calls out to you. "Y/N!" You blink away your sleepy tears and look across the street. Kozume raises a hand up to greet you. It always takes you by surprise when you hear Kozume shout. Kuroo steps out of his house and shouts for Kozume.

"Kenma!" He mimics Kozume teasingly. Kozume glares at Kuroo when he sees him. You hastily walk over to the two. "Tetsurō!" You mimic the both of them. "Thanks, I felt kind of lonely not having my name be called out." Kuroo extends his hand to ruffle your hair but you stop him. "We should head to school before we get yelled at for making so much noise this early in the morning." You lower Kuroo's hand to his side which he slides into his pocket. Kuroo pulls you towards the inner part of the sidewalk. He then moves Kozume in the middle.

"Gotta make sure my ducklings are safe." Kuroo smirks at the two of you. "Ducklings? Are you the mother then?" You laugh at the thought. "I'd rather be disowned." Kozume mumbles aloud. "Shut up you two. All I'm saying is that if a car speeds towards the three of us, I'm more likely to live with all the muscles I have." Kuroo puffs out his chest to prove a point. "I don't think that's how your muscles work." Kozume glances up at Kuroo for a second before returning his gaze ahead."He's already saying ridiculous things first thing in the morning." You shake your head to yourself. "Change of topic, are you guys studying for the midterm tests?"

Kuroo's jaw drops when you mention the word 'test'. "Don't you dare say that word aloud Y/N!"

"What? Test?" You say with a cheeky smile. Kuroo reflexively extends his arm towards your cheek but Kozume stops him. "Test." Kozume taunts him. Kuroo narrows his eyes on Kozume now. "Are you still horrible with school work Tetsurō?" You ask him, turning into the train station. "N-No." Kuroo stutters in response. "Lev gets better grades than Kuro." Kozume says bluntly. "Shame. A handsome face with a dumb brain." You shrug, purposely jabbing at Kuroo. "Says the one with the pretty face but horrible tongue." Kuroo retorts in response. You raise an eyebrow, stopping behind the yellow line for any incoming trains.

"Are you trying to one up me Tetsurō?" Kuroo turns to look at you, leaning down to your face. "What if I am? Doubt you have anything to say that will trump me." A mischievous look crosses your face. You look at Kozume, quickly apologizing for what you will say to Kuroo. Kozume is confused when you apologize to him. You turn your attention back to Kuroo, your eyes flickering. "From what I remember, you were eager to slide your tongue against mine a few weeks back." Kuroo's face visibly pales and he straightens himself back up, clearing his throat. Seeing Kuroo speechless makes you smile. Kozume lowers his eyes, also clearing his throat. "Why did you have to apologize to me Y/N?"

"Apologies for the visual and for the information you didn't ask for." You turn your attention to Kozume, noticing his bothered expression. "Remind me to not challenge Y/N again Kenma." Kuroo shamefully looks down, his cheeks red. "Remind yourself. I have to make sure I don't slip up in front of her." Kozume nervously looks at you. "I wouldn't do that to you Kenma." You softly say to him. "What?! Why are you favoring him?! I'm your childhood friend, remember?!" Kuroo's quick to change his attitude towards you.

"Kenma's nice to me. You constantly tease me." You flick your gaze over to Kuroo. "In a loving friendship kind of way though." Kuroo says those words so matter-of-fact. "As if." You furrow your brows together. The sound of the train ends the conversation and the three of you step aside for the exiting passengers. Kozume quietly grabs hold of your sleeve and pulls you inside, sitting you down in one of the empty chairs. But you notice an elderly woman who enters after the three of you. "You could take this seat, grandmother." You point towards the seat you just got up from. She offers you a kind smile and thanks you, sitting down.

You look over at Kozume. "Sorry, I know you saved the seat for me but...she'll need it more. Kozume notices more passengers are stepping inside, his eyes dart towards a more closed off space by one of the doors on the other end of the train. "Let's stand over there then. I don't want another incident to happen to you." You're the one to hold onto Kozume's sleeve now as he leads you through the crowd. Kuroo looks around for the two of you, slowly making his way after you. "Are you two trying to leave your mother duck behind?" Kuroo whisper yells at the two of you.

"Not purposely." Kozume answers. "There's just a lot of middle aged men here. Who knows which one of them feels a bit handsy this morning." Kuroo's eyes narrow around the crowd. "Right, we don't need a repetition of that day. Unless you want to cry into my chest while I embrace you again Y/N." Your brows furrow together and you grow embarrassed remembering that scene. "I'd rather not. I was traumatized that day. For once you actually gave me comfort. But now you're a pain in the ass." Kuroo chuckles at your last comment. "This time you can cry to Kenma. He'll take you with open arms."

Kozume stiffens from Kuroo's words. You slowly turn your attention to Kozume, gazing at his stiff form. "You would, right Kenma?" Kuroo purposely set the question up for Kozume. Kozume lowers his eyes, feeling troubled. You lightly slap Kuroo in the arm. "Don't peer pressure Kenma. You can tease me instead." Kozume is taken aback when he looks over to you. "I'll remember you saying this." Kuroo hums to himself. Your shoulders droop when you feel goosebumps run down your spine. You have a feeling that you'll regret this in the future.

"I'll embrace you if I see you cry Y/N." Kozume speaks up towards you, his voice slightly choked back. You feel your chest warm up when you look at Kozume's face. "You don't actually have to force yourself to say what Kuroo wants to hear Kenma." Kozume stares at you more seriously. "I'm serious." You're taken aback from his stern tone and find yourself nodding. "Now you have two charming guys at your disposal to cry to." Kuroo winks at you playfully.

"One." You correct him. "You'll take advantage of me Tetsurō." Kuroo's playfulness drains away and he hangs his head low. "I promise I wouldn't." Neither you or Kozume believe him, the two of you staring at him in silence.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

On top of studying for your midterm tests your teacher decides to throw in a group project due a week before your midterms. "Make sure you and your partner have a five page essay completed about the story we'll be going over this week. I'm looking forward to how you all perceive the meaning of the story." You slump over your desk, staring at Kozume who's desk is next to yours. The story your teacher recommended is a famous English story from a writer named Shakespeare. You're unsure how this is important in your current Japanese culture but an assignment is an assignment. 

Kozume stares at the book that's between the two of you. He looks just as troubled despite wearing a blank expression. "Kenma." You call out to him, his golden eyes slowly move over to you. "Do you like stories like this?" You point to the book next to you. Kozume shakes his head, lowering his head down on his desk to stare across from you. "Do you Y/N?" Kozume whispers over to you. The two of you in your own world as your classmates read aloud to each other. "The gist of the book is a tragic love story. Arranged marriage and status quo war. Forbidden love that leads to both characters dying." A frown forms on your face, you stare into Kozume's eyes. "I much prefer to read something light on the heart and mind." 

Kozume silently listens to you. "I admire Romeo's selflessness. He didn't hesitate to take his own life for the one he loves." Your eyes soften when you listen to Kozume, nodding to his words. "I don't think I can find someone like that in this time century." Kozume freezes when he sees Y/N's distant eyes that stare at the book. "Then again, I'd prefer the guy I love to stay alive. I don't want him to kill himself over me if I were to pass. Someone else should have the chance to know how passionate he is about love." You turn back to look at Kozume who is in deep thought. You poke Kozume on the nose, catching his attention. "What about you Kenma?" 

Kozume flutters his eyelashes, turning to look at you. He stays quiet for awhile before you see his lips part slightly. "I guess I'm a bit selfish when I say I don't want anyone else to receive the love the girl gives me." You're surprised when you listen to Kozume, a giggle escapes your lips when you see how serious he is taking the question. "I'm guessing you're the overprotective boyfriend type." Kozume bites his bottom lip when he hears your words, lowering his eyes down. 

"Whoever your future girlfriend will be won't have to worry about you losing interest in her. I'm sure you'll shower her with lots of affection in your own special way." A small smile forms on your face when you whisper to Kozume. "Don't forget about me when you do find her Kenma." You feel a bit lonely when you say these words aloud, your chest tightening. Kozume flicks his eyes back over to you, his silence responding to your words. You stare at him for a second before straightening yourself back up, exhaling. "All this talk about love made me depressed." You close the book between the two of you, a frown on your face. 

"Y/N." Kozume calls out to you. You turn to look at him with a raised brow. 

"What's your ideal boyfriend type?"


	27. It's called love

"My ideal type?" You repeat the question to Kozume. He silently nods his head, anticipating your answer.

_Do you even have a type?_

Tilting your head to the side and resting your cheek in your palm, you ponder on the question. "A guy that can handle his own would be nice. I tend to stand up for myself whether or not I'm faking it till I make it. So I'd hope he would know how to do the same." You pause, thinking more deeply. "Patience is also important for him to have since I have trouble expressing my emotions. I usually show the opposite emotion for what I'm really feeling."

"So someone independent and patient?" Kozume mutters to himself. You whisper the next sentence with blushing cheeks. "It'll be nice if he was also affectionate. It's always nice to be hugged by someone. I hardly care if he's not into the sexual side of things of a relationship. As long as the both of us are happy with how we love one another, that's all that matters." Kozume lowers his eyes down, the tips of his ears heating up when you mention affection. "I don't sound picky, do I?" You turn your attention to Kozume, noticing his flustered reaction.

"I don't think so." Kozume whispers over to you.

"What's your ideal girl Kenma? I can't seem to think what kind of girl would make your heart race." Kozume straightens up and stares at the chalk board in front of the classroom. An image of Y/N flashes on his mind when he tries to think of an answer. He shakes his head to rid of the image. You raise an eyebrow when you look over to him. "I don't have one." Kozume mumbles out. Your brows furrow together, not believing his answer. "Hey, it's not fair that I told you my type." Kozume clears his throat, feeling nervous. He has a feeling Y/N knows he's lying.

"Is it too weird to say out loud?" You whisper. Kozume turns to look at you, his eyes still. "Do you like the super model types? Maybe the quiet types? Athletic types?" You start to throw out generic personality types, looking to see if his expression changes from one of them. "Motherly types?"

"M-Motherly?" Kozume chokes the words out. "Is that it?!" You whisper yell. "Wow, I didn't see that one coming." You say to yourself, your eyes bewildered. Kozume looks troubled when he looks at you, biting his inner cheek he clears his throat to get your attention. "That's not it." You look back to Kozume. "It's not? Then what is?" Kozume shyly runs his hands through his hair, his hair brushing past his ear. You notice how red they are. The conversation comes to a halt when the bell rings through the room for lunch break. You drop your shoulders, not surprised by the uncanny interruption.

"Maybe I should ask Lev what his ideal girl is too." You slide your chair out and wait for Kozume to stand up. The two of you make your way over to the courtyard. Kozume presses his lips together, his eyes constantly flickering over to Y/N. He tries to steel his nerves to answer her question but he beats himself up the second he tries to get Y/N's attention back on him. "Y/L/N!" Lev is surprisingly there before everyone. A bright smile plastering over his face. "Lev!" You shout his name, hurrying over to the table. Lev perks up when he sees you more energetic than usual. "You seem excited today Y/L/N." You sit down across from Lev.

"Kenma and I had an interesting conversation." You smile towards Lev. Lev tilts his head. "What about?"

"What's your ideal type of girl Lev?" You bluntly ask the question. Lev flushes immediately and hides his face with his large palms. "What did you say to Lev just now?" Kuroo places a hand on the top of your head, taking a seat to your left. "I asked him for his ideal girl type." You murmur. "Oh, that's an easy one for me. Sexy and smart is all I need." Kuroo winks and flashes a smug smile your way. "I didn't ask you Tetsurō." You turn your attention back to Lev. "Well at least you know now Y/N." Kuroo laughs beside you. Kozume quietly looks at Lev, he anticipates what Lev's answer is.

Lev purses his lips, his green eyes nervously raise up to look at you. "W-Well, I like girls like you Y/L/N." You raise an eyebrow and you notice Kozume stiffen to your right. "Like me?"

"You have to be a bit more specific Lev." Kuroo forms a mischievous smile, a glimmer in his eyes. He's purposely taunting Lev to confess his feelings. Lev tries to ignore Kuroo's wiggling eyebrows. "Um, what I mean to say is...I." Lev bites his bottom lip, his cheeks a deep red. He clenches his hands onto his pants, feeling anxiety consume him. This isn't the exact scenario he pictured when he planned to confess. Seeing Y/L/N beside Kuroo and Kozume makes him feel intimidated. The two are much closer to her than he is.

You notice Lev's meltdown and decide to change the topic. "You know what, how are your classes so far Lev? Are you studying for your midterms? I heard from Kenma that you're much better than Tetsurō when it comes to school work." You flash Lev a smile hoping this change of topic will relax him. Lev slowly exhales and nods his head, his hands slowly unclenching his pants. "Classes are going well. My sister is the reason why I'm not failing. She's really smart!"

"Is she sexy too?!" Kuroo perks up when he hears Lev mention his sister. "I'M NOT LETTING YOU NEAR HER." Lev quickly yells at Kuroo. "You don't have time to mess around Tetsurō. You're graduating in a few months." You also start to yell at Kuroo. Kuroo childishly covers his ears and turns his back to you. "I CAN'T HEAR YOU."

"Idiot." You grumble out. Kozume quietly watches Y/N's interaction with the other two. He's noticed how she's soften up towards the group. A sharp pain stabs him in the chest when he notices how more carefree she speaks to the other two. Kozume would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't a bit jealous.

Lunch goes by with silly idle chatter.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Kozume and you silently walk back to class. Neither of you saying anything to each other. You curiously look over at Kozume. He's been silent the entire time during lunch. "Is everything okay Kenma?" You carefully speak up to get his attention. His golden eyes flick over to you, his trademark deadpan expression reflecting back at you. "Yeah. I'm just...thinking about midterms." Kozume's low tone meets your ears and you sense a lie in his words. Pursing your lips together, you debate whether you should call Kozume out on it. But you're unsure if your friendship is close enough for banter like that.

_Maybe you have to take the step to deepen your friendship?_

Nervously, you mentally psyche yourself up. "Kenma." Kozume raises his head up from staring at the ground, his head turns to look at you. You gently place a finger on his forehead, "You're lying to me." Kozume's eyes widen briefly and he stops in his spot. Your finger seemingly shattered his thoughts when you notice his bewildered expression. You take your finger off of his forehead and awkwardly look away. "Sorry I shouldn't have said that." Biting your lower lip, you turn away from Kozume. "I'll be heading to class..." You sheepishly say under your breath.

Something snaps in place in Kozume's brain when he notices Y/N rushing away from his side. Kozume extends his arm out towards her hand, pulling Y/N back to him. A soft yelp escapes from you when Kozume pulls you away from the second wing building. His legs practically running as he drags you away from other students. The two of you take different twists and turns. You find yourself behind the library building. Confusion clouds over your face.

_Did you upset Kozume and he's here to hurt you?_

You scoff at the idea the moment you thought about it. Kozume wouldn't hurt you. Lost in your thoughts you feel your back meet against the cold stone surface of the building. Kozume raises his arms beside your head. You stiffen, realizing Kenma has you pinned to the wall while you were lost in thought. "Did I upset you Kenma?" You nervously say to him, his head hangs low with his hair covering his face. You can't get a read on him.

"Just a little bit Y/N." Kozume's dark low growl paralyzes you. Your lips turn into a fine line. You've never heard Kozume speak in such a scary tone before. "It frustrates me how easily you talk to other guys." Your brows furrow together. You thought Kozume was upset at you for calling him out on his lie. "I hate how close you can be with Kuroo." Kozume slams his fists by your ear, you slowly feel yourself shrink. You hear the pent up frustration in Kozume's tone. "But I hate myself the most for not facing these emotions." Kozume slowly lifts his head up, his face slowly appearing in front of you.

Kozume glares towards you. His anger isn't directed towards you specifically. The two of you quietly look at one another. Kozume's eyes are distant and he seems to ponder on his actions. You're trying to understand his outburst but your mind comes to a blank. "Kenma, I can't really understand what you're trying to say...I'm not trying to intentionally make you angry by talking to the others." Kozume scrunches his face when he hears you. He's fighting with his thoughts and actions. The last thing he wants to do is act like Kuroo.

"I'm sorry. I...I can't seem to understand myself either." Kozume lowers his hands away from the wall, one hand clenching over his chest. Kozume sounds as if he's suffocating from his emotions. "My heart races uncontrollably and my chest tightens when I'm around you. I also find myself smiling when I see you happy or flustered." Kozume slowly speaks to you with a pained expression. "Whenever I see you and Kuro together I just feel left out. The way you easily talk to him makes me jealous. I shouldn't feel like this when you're both important to me."

Kozume squeezes his eyes shut. "But...you're important in a different way. I just don't know what." Kozume groans with frustration. "I tried to look up these emotions on the internet but it just told me stupid shit like I'm having a heart attack." Kozume crouches down in front of you, his breathing heavy. Your eyes waver when you watch Kozume get worked up. Squatting down, you extend your hands towards Kozume's face. His cheeks warm your small palms. Carefully, you lift his face up to look at him. "Take a few deep breaths Kenma. I think you're starting to get a panic attack." You notice his body trembling aside from his heavy breathing. His eyes are glossed over when he looks at you. He takes a few deep breaths.

You are too focused on Kozume to not notice your own trembling hands. After listening to Kozume's outpouring feelings, you come across the reason for his troubles.

**Kozume likes you.**

Seeing that he's calmed down, you nervously speak. "Kenma, you couldn't find the result of your emotions because it's not something the internet could answer." Kozume looks at you confused. "The answer is right here." You point over to his heart. "It's called love." Kozume widens his eyes, he forgets to breath when he hears your words.

**Love.**

You feel your own chest tighten, slowly you lower your hands away from his face but Kozume wraps his hands around your wrists. "You're my ideal type Y/N. I couldn't answer you earlier because I couldn't understand these feelings. You've made me realize the answer." Kozume's eyes gloss over, his lips trembling. You hear your heart beat in your eardrums, your lips parting slightly. "I'm going to kiss you, if that's alright?" Kozume nervously says to you, his face leans close to you and you feel his breath against your lips. The smell of citrus and oak wafts towards your nose.

You wouldn't be able to stop Kozume if you wanted since his hands are clasping around your wrists. Kozume's lips softly meets yours. The two of you both tense from the unfamiliar sensation. "Your lips are soft." Kozume murmurs, his eyes averting down with a blush. He apologizes to you, selfishly kissing you again. Your eyes close and you feel yourself falter back, Kozume over top of you. This kiss is completely different from the one you shared with Kuroo. Your shared kiss with Kozume is much sweeter...gentler. Nervously, you kiss Kozume back, your heart hammering against your ribcage.


	28. Kozume confessed?!

Slowly, Kozume pulls his lips away from you, his hands release their hold on your wrist. Your eyes flutter open, Kozume's blushing face in front of you. Kozume clears his throat, standing up and extending a hand to you. "We should probably head back to class..." Biting your bottom lip, you take his hand and Kozume pulls you up. You're unsure how to feel about everything now. Kozume technically confessed to you but you still have your doubts. You feel Kozume pull his hand away but you grip tightly. 

"Kenma...why did you kiss me?" Your brows furrow together and you hold your breath, anticipating his answer. Kozume averts his eyes away from you, his lips pursing together. His anxiety comes back and his heart starts to flutter. "I don't want you to think I let anybody kiss me." Your voice falls flat when you notice the silence from Kozume. "You said I was your ideal type, but so did Lev." 

_You just want to hear from Kenma that he likes you._

Kozume hangs his head low. His troubled expression clouding his face. Patiently, you wait for his response. You pull your hand back but Kozume grabs both of your hands in his, he squeezes them. Raising his head up, you're taken aback by how flushed his face is. "I like you Y/N." Kozume's lips tremble when he confesses his feelings to you. "I'd like to ask you out but I'll wait to ask you out after our midterms. We both should focus on our studies first." Despite Kozume not asking you out right away, you feel relief to hear him state his feelings towards you. You'll take the time to figure out your own feelings for Kozume. Your heart does flutter for him but you're unsure if it's being moved by everything suddenly crashing in front of you. You didn't want to act upon rushed feelings.

"Okay." You quietly reply to Kozume, giving his hands a squeeze before the two of you drop your hands to your sides. "Let's go back to class."

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

"Where did you two disappear off to after lunch?" Kuroo looks over at Kozume. The two are practicing in the gym afterschool. Kozume purses his lips, he's more distracted than usual. The ball that Lev receives flies towards Kozume which ends up hitting Kozume in the head. "Hey! Watch where you're hitting that Lev!" Kuroo yells at Lev who's on the other side of the court. Kozume groans, rubbing the top of his head. Lev hurries over to pick the ball up near Kozume, apologizing. "Sorry Kenma!" Lev stammers out, afraid Kozume will give him an earful. Lev raises an eyebrow when he notices Kozume's silent grunting. "Is Kenma alright?" Lev looks over to Kuroo.

"He's been weird ever since we got in here." Kuroo shrugs, tossing his volleyball up in the air and catching it. "I confessed my feelings to Y/N." Kozume speaks in a low tone, his brows knitting together. He turns his sharp golden eyes towards Lev's green ones. Kuroo widens his eyes and Lev drops his jaw along with the volleyball in his hand. The sound of the ball slowly rolling away and other members practicing fill the silent air between the three of them. "W-When did you like her?!" Lev wears a deep frown, his heart shattering. 

"I don't know when exactly." Kozume answers honestly. "But I now understand the reason why I'm always bothered when she's around you two." Kozume slowly turns to look at Kuroo. "Especially when she's with you." Kuroo wears a lopsided smirk, scratching the back of his neck. "So my best friend fell in love with my childhood best friend." Kuroo tosses the volleyball in his hand towards Kozume. Kozume swiftly catches it while Kuroo walks over to him. "Did Y/N return your feelings back Kenma?" Lev tightens his fists, scared to hear the answer. 

Kozume lowers his eyes to the volleyball in his hand, shaking his head. "I told Y/N I'll ask her out after our midterms." 

"That means I still have a chance." Lev mumbles to himself. Kozume overhears and flicks his attention back to Lev, throwing the ball at him. "No. There's no way I'm letting you confess your feelings to her too." Kozume bluntly speaks aloud. Kuroo chuckles at their interaction. "I'm sure if Lev did confess, he wouldn't have a fair chance."

"Why not?!" Lev frowns. 

"Because, the two of you have barely spoken to each other compared to Kenma and her." Kuroo walks over to Lev, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm also 100% sure that Y/N likes Kenma too. So there's zero chance for you bud." Kozume purses his lips when he hears Kuroo. His mind flickers back to Y/N and her blushing face.

_Kozume misses Y/N._

"So how did you confess your feelings exactly?" Kuroo turns around to look at Kozume with a sparkle in his eyes. Kozume averts Kuroo's lingering eyes. "She's the one that pointed out my feelings." Lev and Kuroo both stand there in disbelief. "Really?!" Lev widens his eyes. "She knew your feelings before you?" 

"What are you three doing!? Start practicing!" Yaku runs over to the three, a scowl on his face. Kuroo raises a hand up towards Yaku."Men are speaking." Kuroo says with a smirk. Yaku instantly fumes from Kuroo's comment. "So what happened when Y/N made you realize your feelings Kenma?" Kuroo resumes the conversation despite the glare he's receiving from Yaku. "Wait, what?" Yaku snaps his eyes towards Kozume, noticing Kozume's faint blush on his face. "Kenma confessed to Y/N today." Lev mumbles to Yaku, his shoulders drooping.

"I asked if I could kiss her." Kozume says between clench teeth. He feels embarrassed when he recalls the moment. "WHAT?!" Lev and Yaku both shout in unison. Kuroo wears a smug grin, chuckling to himself. "I didn't expect that from you at all Kenma. How did it feel? To kiss such soft lips." Kozume stares at Kuroo. "I'll make sure she doesn't kiss anyone but me." The three are speechless from Kozume's statement thrown specifically at Kuroo. Kozume turns his back to them, releasing an exhale. He feels embarrassed saying something so cheesy. Running his fingers through his hair, he excuses himself. 

"I'm going to go home and study." Kozume murmurs, exiting out of the gym. 

"W-W-WHAT WAS THAT." Lev stammers, shaking his fists by his sides. "Is that even the same Kenma?!" Yaku slaps Lev in the back, "Love changes you Lev. Sadly you wouldn't understand."

"I WOULD'VE IF KENMA DIDN'T TAKE THE GIRL I LIKE." Lev blurts out. Kuroo holds his smile when he sees Kozume rush off. "You should be happy for your friends Lev." Kuroo turns to look at Lev's deep frown. "Y/N isn't a girl you can handle anyway. You're too soft for her." Lev scoffs from Kuroo's words, throwing the volleyball back at him. "Alright, let's focus on practice now." Kuroo speaks towards Lev and Yaku.


	29. One more week

A week has passed since Kozume's confession to you. The two of you are going over the essay for the group project in your bedroom. With the amount of classwork and study sessions you two have together, neither of you had the luxury to focus on emotions. You only find yourself thinking about Kozume when you're not busy. Now that the two of you are slowing down on school work, you can't help but pull your thoughts back to him. 

_Why would someone like Kozume like you to begin with?_

The two of you didn't start off on the right foot when you met him before. Your attitude towards him was cold and distant. Kozume's was nearly the same with the intentions of pitying you. Recalling the past makes your chest hurt. You forgave Kozume after that but you can still remember the sadness you experienced. "Y/N?" Kozume pokes your cheek with the top of his pencil. You snap yourself away from your thoughts, looking up to Kozume. "Sorry, did you say something Kenma?" You straighten yourself up, lowering the idled pencil from your hand. 

Kozume lowers his pencil and rests his cheek in his palm, looking across the table at you. "Should we stop here for today? You seem tired." 

"Yeah..." You close the English book in front of you and stretch your arms upward. Kozume glances over at the clock on your wall. "Is your dad coming home tonight?" You follow Kozume's glance and notice how late it's gotten. "He's spending the night at his workplace. He mentioned something about being late for his deadlines." Kozume nods his head, standing up from the coffee table. "Do you need to pick up dinner for yourself? I'll go with you." You look up at Kozume, a warmth washing over you from his consideration. "Is it okay for you to? Don't you need to go home to eat dinner Kenma?" 

Kozume averts his gaze from your looming ones. "I'll go home after I make sure you eat dinner." Kozume whispers, bending over to put his belongings into his backpack. You try to hide your creeping blush on your face. Standing up, you walk towards your bedroom door. The two of you quietly walk downstairs and head to the nearest grocery store. 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

The two of you stand in front of the hot section of the already made to go foods in the grocery store. Ideally you would make your own dinner but you didn't realize it's already eight, nearing nine. You reach over to the fried chicken bento set, a smile on your face. "So you do really like fried chicken." Kozume lowly says next to you. 

"Of course. What makes you say that Kenma?" You glance over to Kozume, making your way over to the beverages. "I just remembered the day we all had that group date. Kuroo double checked with you if fried chicken was fine with you." 

"Ah..." A smile forms on your face. "Tetsurō surprised me that day. I thought he forgot that fried chicken is my favorite." 

"Spicy or mild?" Kozume asks you curiously. 

"Both." You reach for a soft drink. "What about you Kenma?"

"I like both too." 

"But you love apple pies more, right?" The two of you make small talk while the both of you walk over to the cashier. Kozume shyly nods his head. "It's not childish of me to like apple pies is it?" Kozume seems a bit insecure for admitting his favorite food is apple pies. You reach into your purse to pay for your dinner, shaking your head at Kozume. The two of you thank the cashier before stepping out of the grocery store. "I think it's cute." Your words slip out of your lips easily. Kozume stiffens beside you, he nibbles on his bottom lip.

"I don't want to appear cute in front of you Y/N..." Kozume whispers, you faintly pick up on his words and blush. "U-Um. I mean..." You try to find the correct words but your mind blanks out. "Oh! We should celebrate together when we finish our midterms. Let's make an apple pie together Kenma." Kozume looks over to you, noticing the smile on your face when you look at him. "Do you know how to make apple pies?" Kozume asks. Your smile falters and you shake your head, shoulders slumping over. "No...but we can learn together? I'll buy an actual apple pie just incase we fail." You mentally make a reminder to yourself. Faintly, you hear Kozume chuckle beside you, his cheeks a soft shade of pink. 

"Dummy, why would you offer to do something together if you don't know how to do it?" Kozume looks relaxed when you glance over to him. Your heart starts to race when you hear his low warm chuckle. "Dummy?" You pretend to frown. Kozume calms his laughter when he notices Y/N's small frown. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings Y/N." Kozume's tone switches over to something more serious and you're quick to stick your tongue out. "I know. I'm messing with you Kenma." 

Kozume flushes when he sees your adorable reaction. A sigh escapes from him and you squeak out an apology. But the giggle you make after doesn't make you seem very apologetic. The two of you slow down when you reach the front of your door. "Well...thanks for walking with me Kenma." You turn to face him. "Make sure you eat dinner when you get back." Kozume nods, sliding his hands in his pockets. "I'll see you tomorrow morning." You nod your head, turning around to unlock the door and stepping inside. 

"Night Kenma." You say your goodbyes and close the door behind you. Kozume stares at the door that's closed in front of him. He turns on his heels and makes his way across the street. Before stepping inside his house, he turns around to look at the light that's flickered on in Y/N's room. Despite spending most of his day with her, his heart aches. He ruffles his hair, sighing. "How can I miss her already." Kozume frowns slightly. He mentally wishes next week to hurry and go. It's eating him inside that Y/N's not officially his. Pushing these irritating feelings away, Kozume steps inside and greets his parents before heading upstairs. 

He places his backpack by his door and lays down on his bed. His eyes staring at the ceiling in his dark room. Kozume extends his hand towards his night stand, grabbing onto something. With his left arm over his forehead, he extends his right arm up. The photo strip of Y/N and him reflects back at him. Kozume's heart acts up again. Rapidly beating against his chest. Closing his eyes he's overwhelmed with thoughts of Y/N. Kozume lowers his right arm to his side. 

"Kenma! Don't forget about your dinner!" Kozume's mom calls out to him from the bottom step. With a sigh, Kozume sits up and places the photo back on his night stand. 

_One more week._


	30. He's sweet

The only sound in the classroom is the scribbling of pencils. Your teacher calls out the five minute warning time. "Pencils down in five minutes." You start to panic, ten questions left still unanswered. Your eyes scan the paragraph quickly and you write the answer down as best as you can word it. Five minutes go in a blink of an eye when you hear your teacher clap her hands. "Time's up!" An irruption of groans and sighs fill the room, pencils meeting the desks. Your face pales when you stare at your test. Three questions unanswered. Your teacher walks down each aisle, picking up the tests from everyone's desk. 

"Alright, class is dismissed. Enjoy your weekend students." A smile graces her face and everyone starts to get their belongings together. You're as stiff as a board, a frown on your face. "Y/N?" Kozume places a hand on your shoulder, he gently squeezes. Raising your head, you look up at Kozume. "Is everything okay?" Your frown deepens, shaking your head. "I didn't finish the test..." Sighing, you grab your things together. You stand up and make your way out of the classroom. Kozume notices the gloomy cloud casting above you. He hurries over to your side. 

"I'm sure you did fine." Kozume tries to cheer you up but the stress still wraps around you. "KENMA! Y/N!" Kuroo waves dramatically towards the two of you, running over to meet up with the both of you. Kuroo notices your frown, his eyes darting from you to Kozume. "What's wrong Y/N? Shouldn't you be happy those stupid ass tests are done?" You groan under your breath, furrowing your fingers in your hair. You're too upset to respond to Kuroo, walking ahead. "What happen?" Kuroo whispers over to Kozume, the two following behind you.

"She didn't finish her test." Kozume looks at your drooping shoulders. Kuroo scoffs, "She's too hard on herself." Kozume turns his attention over to Kuroo. "Did you finish your tests on time Kuro?" Raising his thumb up and a wide smirk, Kuroo nods. "I guessed the entire time." Kozume stares at him blankly. "I'm not even surprised." Kuroo loudly chuckles beside Kozume. "Anyway, you're going to pop the question today, right?" Kuroo nudges his shoulder against Kozume's shoulder. Kozume's face falters into nervousness, his lips pursed. 

"I don't know if this is the right time to. Y/N looks depressed." Kozume murmurs. "What?! That's the perfect time! You'll cheer her up." Kuroo whisper yells. "The two of you are going to her house after here right? To make uh..."

"Apple pie." Kozume speaks up. "Yeah! Apple pie. Pop the question there. Just do it before Lev, Yaku, and I come over. I'll be sure to bring a bucket of fried chicken." Kuroo smirks at Kozume. Kozume lowers his eyes to his shoes, his chest tightening again from the thought of asking Y/N out. Kuroo roughly slaps Kozume's back. "I'll text you when the guys and I are coming over. Don't fuck up Kenma." Kuroo leaves Kozume's side and rushes off to find Yaku and Lev. You slow your pace when you notice Kozume isn't by your side. Stopping, you turn around to see Kozume's attention focused on the ground. He seems to be in deep thought, not realizing he's going to crash into you. 

You raise your pointer finger out, stopping him with a touch on his forehead. "Kenma, you should pay attention." You say with a small smile. Kozume flicks his eyes up and sees your smile directed towards him. "S-Sorry." Kozume apologizes and you pull your hand back to your side. "Um, are you feeling better Y/N?" Shrugging your shoulders, you turn back around. "I'm still upset I didn't finish the test but I think I should still get a decent score. As long as it's higher than Tetsurō's." Kozume notices a flicker in your eyes when you mention Kuroo's name. "If that idiot gets a higher score than me, I'm going to be devastated." 

You relax your shoulders, turning your attention back to Kozume. "Are you still coming over to make a pie with me?" Kozume nods his head. "I just need to drop my things off and change." A smile forms on your face, you've been excited all week to bake with Kozume. The two of you are total amateurs but you know you'll enjoy Kozume's company nonetheless. The two of you converse during the train ride back home. Parting ways when you reach the neighborhood.

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Not wanting to get dressed up and to only have a mess on your clothes, you throw on a random graphic tee and a pair of shorts. You tie your hair up in a bun, placing the star pin Kozume bought you in your hair, and make your way downstairs. Opening the cabinets, you lay out the dry ingredients. Your hand reaches for the fridge handle but the sound of the doorbell pulls you away. You hurry over to the front door, opening the door for Kozume. "That was fast." You see Kozume wearing a tee with a familiar gundam figure and a pair of gym shorts. 

"I didn't want to make you wait..." Kozume lowly says, taking a step inside. You close the door behind him and smile. 

_Kozume is so considerate._

He takes his shoes off at the foyer and follows you into the kitchen. You open the fridge and grab the already made pie out. "If we fail, we're going to lie to the others that we made this. Okay?" Kozume holds back his laughter, he clears his throat. "I don't think they'll buy our lie." Pursing your lips, you shrug. Carefully, you place the pie on the counter. "You're probably right." You laugh. Kozume walks over towards the dry ingredients, pointing towards it. You busy yourself by grabbing the butter out of the fridge.

"What's all this for?" Kozume stares at the flour. "We can't go the easy route and buy already made dough Kenma." You tease him, grabbing a large bowl from the cabinet. You hand him a measuring cup. "Here, you can measure out the flour and sugar. I'll add the other dry ingredients in after you." You pull up the recipe on your phone, propping it against the wall. With the easy part done, you start to stress for the next step. Placing the pie plate in front of the bowl of dough, you glance over to Kozume. 

"Do you think you can flatten the dough Kenma? We have to make sure there's enough for the bottom crust and the top." Kozume nervously stares at the dough, dumping it over the cutting board. "Ah! Wait! We have to flour the surface before we roll it out." You apologize to Kozume for skipping that direction. Kozume picks up the dough, a few pieces stick to the cutting board. You grab a handful of flour and toss it on top of the cutting board. The force you used makes the flour spread into the air, the two of you coughing. "Maybe I should've been a bit more gentle." You squeak out, not wanting to inhale the flour in the air. Kozume lays the dough back down and notices the flour that sprinkled on your face. He tries to hold back his laughter, extending his hand towards your face. 

"You're making a mess Y/N." Kozume's chuckle escapes his lips, his thumb wipes the flour off of your face. You freeze under Kozume's touch, your cheeks quickly heating up. Quietly, you look at Kozume's focused face, he gently rubs the remaining flour away and pulls his hand back. "T-Thank you." You mutter out, turning your back to him to wash your hands. Kozume notices your blushing cheeks and smiles to himself. "Do you have a rolling pin Y/N?" Kozume looks around the counter and doesn't see one. Turning off the faucet, you open one of the drawers and grab the rolling pin. You hand it over to Kozume and he thanks you. 

You check on the preheated oven before walking back to Kozume. "Maybe this is easier than we thought." Kozume speaks up, his hand moving the rolling pin up and down. "Don't speak too soon Kenma." You playfully say. You reach over to the bowl of sliced apples covered in cinnamon, taking one out and eating half of it. Kozume cuts the dough in half and places one side into the pie plate, his fingers gently pressing the dough against the plate. You stare at the other half of your apple, flicking your eyes over to Kozume. "Kenma." You softly call out to him. Kozume raises his eyes away from the pie plate and looks at you. You press the other half of the apple slice against his lips. Kozume parts his lips, allowing you to feed him. His lips briefly touch your fingers and you quickly pull them back. 

Kozume's cheeks turn a shade red, his eyes back on the pie plate. Your heart is in a panic from feeling his soft lips against your fingers. You turn around to grab a spoon to scoop the filling for the pie. The two of you both nervous around each other. Clearing your throat you place the spoon in the bowl of apple slices. "Does this look okay?" Kozume looks over to you, trying to calm his own racing heart. You look over to the pie plate and nod your head. Kozume glances over at the directions and grabs a brush to butter the bottom crust. You then fill the pie with apple slices and Kozume attempts to roll the remainder of the dough over for the top crust. The two of you tuck in the edges and slice a few slits on the top. 

After glazing the top with another layer of butter and sugar, Kozume carefully walks over to the oven. You open the oven door for Kozume and he gently places it on the rack. "Now the hard part. Waiting." Squatting down, you stare at the pie from the oven door. "I guess this is where people start to clean their mess while they wait?" Standing back up, you notice Kozume already putting the ingredients away. 

_He's already one step ahead of you._

Not wanting Kozume to be the only one to clean up, you grab the bowls and bring it over to the sink. The two of you sharing a comfortable silence while you clean up. Turning off the faucet, you dry your hands with a nearby hand towel. Kozume is squatting in front of the oven when you turn around. His golden eyes sparkling when he looks at the pie in the oven. You squat next to Kozume, your eyes on him. A smile etches onto your lips. "I don't think I've seen you this excited since your gundam purchase Kenma." You whisper over to him, not wanting to pull his attention away from the pie. 

Kozume lowers his eyes, feeling shy that you noticed his excitement. He shifts his eyes towards you. "You're part of the reason why I'm this excited Y/N." Your taken aback when you look at Kozume. "If Kuro and I attempted to make this, the kitchen would be a disaster." Kozume shivers at the thought. "But since I'm with you, things went by pretty smoothly. Besides the flour incident." Kozume chuckles when he recalls the flour on your face. You nervously avert your eyes sideways when Kozume laughs at you. Standing up, you look at the timer on the oven, 20 minutes left on the timer. "Should we play games or something while we wait Kenma? We can probably squeeze in one anime episode." You ponder on the thought. 

Kozume reaches out for your hand, startling you. Your attention falls back on him. "Is it okay if we just talk in the kitchen?" Kozume stands himself up, staring down at you. Your heart starts to skip when you look into Kozume's golden eyes. "S-Sure. Is something on your mind Kenma?" You ask an obvious question, knowing the answer.

_Is Kozume going to bring up the question?_

Kozume nibbles on his bottom lip, his eyes staring at your held hand. He takes a deep breath, getting his thoughts together. Kozume raises his eyes back to you, noticing your nervousness. He pulls his hand away from yours, opening and clasping his palms to rid his anxiety. You can feel the atmosphere tensing between the two of you. Not wanting to see Kozume nervous, you feel the need to interject. But you're surprised when Kozume places his hands on your sides. Your eyes widen when Kozume lifts you up, sitting you on the counter so you're looking down at him. He's unable to hide his expressions from you now. 

Kozume parts his lips nervously. "These past two weeks have been a struggle for me Y/N." You notice his brows furrowing together, his eyes still not on you. "There were days where I just wanted to ask you about your feelings towards me...but then I would chicken out." You hear Kozume's trembling voice, his hand running through his hair. "I wanted to respect your space and give you time to think on things. But when I'm away from you, I start to miss you." Kozume slowly looks up at you, his eyes wavering. "I started to fear how much I adore you." Kozume's voice falls. "Then these questions kept forming in my mind. What if you wanted to stay as friends? Or maybe that you'd feel uncomfortable dating me because of our friendship with Kuroo. Maybe you don't like me as much as I like you?" Kozume's tone sounds painful in your ears. His eyes start to gloss over, tears forming on the corner of his eyes. Kozume shuts his eyes closed. 

Your breath escapes from you when you see his shoulders shaking. Goosebumps trickle down your spine when you look at Kozume. Never have you witnessed someone confess their feelings to you like this before. Your heart aches when you see how vulnerable Kozume is in front of you. Carefully, you extend both hands towards Kozume's face. Just like last time. You gently cup your hands on his cheeks. With a sweet gentle voice you call out his name.

"Kenma." 

Kozume slowly flutters his eyes open, seeing your face fill his vision. A smile naturally etches onto your face when you see his warm golden eyes. Your tight chest relaxes and you wipe Kozume's forming tears away with your thumbs. "You worry too much." You tease him, seeing his shoulders relax. "You should erase those questions out of your thoughts." You hear your trembling voice in the quiet kitchen. Gently, you rest your forehead against Kozume's, staring directly into his eyes. "Because I like you, Kozume Kenma. I'm pretty sure I like you more than you like me." A smile graces your face and you slowly close your eyes, nervously you press a kiss to Kozume's soft pink lips. 

Kozume widens his eyes from your confession, you feel his shortness of breath against your lips. Pulling your lips away, you try to read Kozume's expression. He seems to be starstruck when he looks at you. "Does this mean...you'll be my girlfriend Y/N?" 

"Of course." You giggle at his question. Kozume tries to process everything but he's too overwhelmed by warmth and happiness. He places a hand on the back of your head, pushing your face towards him. Your eyes naturally close when you feel Kozume's soft lips against yours again. The two of you silently kiss one another, the smell of cinnamon and apples surrounding the two of you. The smell reminds you of Kozume. 

_Sweet._


	31. Jealous boyfriend

The loud beep of the oven pulls the two of you away, your mind in a daze. "I'll get the oven mitts." You squeak out. Kozume carefully places his hands back on your sides and helps you down the counter. You whisper a thank you and walk over to the oven mitts that lay on the other counter. The smell of apple and cinnamon engulfs the entire house when you open the oven door. Kozume leans over to take a look at the apple pie. The two of you amazed by how golden the pie turned out. Carefully, you take the pie out of the oven and rest it on a wire rack. Kozume closes the oven for you while you take the oven mitts off.

"This looks way better than the one I bought in the store." You compare the two side by side. Kozume walks over to stand next to you. He rests his chin on your shoulder, his hair tickling your cheek. "Could we just eat this one together? The others can have that one." Kozume points over to the store bought pie. Your eyes glance over to Kozume and you giggle. "We have to share a little bit with them Kenma. I'm sure they'll want to see if we failed or not." Kozume sighs, lifting his chin off your shoulder. He wraps his arms around you from behind. "The only thing I won't share is you Y/N. I'll make sure they know too." Kozume's low tone echoes in your ears, your face flushing. You feel your heart race again and you're unsure how much more you can take. Kozume is more confident now that he knows you're his.

"I-I'm sure you wouldn't need to do that Kenma." Kozume loosens his hold on you, allowing you to turn around to look at him. His deadpan expression looking back at you. He reaches for your hand and intertwines his fingers with yours. You notice Kozume's parting lips but he closes them. The sound of the doorbell rings throughout the house. "Speaking of them." You pull Kozume towards the front door. You open the door and three faces greet you. "Something smells good in here." Kuroo inhales deeply and smiles.

"Hello to you too Tetsurō." You scoff, his hand reaches for your head but Kozume stops him. Kozume quietly raises your held hand up to the three. "Y/N and I are dating now. So...don't get too friendly with her." Kozume speaks in a low threatening tone. Kuroo and Yaku both wear a smirk while Lev hangs his head low, nodding. The tip of your ears start to heat up and you slowly pull your hand down. "We should let them inside Kenma." Kozume steps to the side and you're greeted with the smell of fried chicken.

"We brought your favorite Y/L/N." Lev smiles at you despite how sad he's feeling. Kozume watches your eyes glimmer at the sight of the fried chicken bucket. A small smile caresses his face and he slowly releases your hand. Kuroo pulls Kozume to the side. "Nice job Kenma!" Kozume starts to blush from Kuroo's support. "I didn't think you were able to do it." Kuroo chuckles.

"Should I help you get plates?" Lev asks you, placing the chicken on the dining table. "Sure." You answer Lev, turning your attention towards the kitchen. Lev happily follows after you, helping you grab the plates out of the cabinet. Kozume feels a bit nervous leaving Lev alone with Y/N. His legs automatically turn towards the kitchen but Kuroo and Yaku grab hold of Kozume's arms. "How about you tell us the details Kenma." Kuroo grins widely. "Spill." Yaku drags Kozume to the dining table. With a sigh Kozume willingly sits down, his eyes flicking over to the kitchen.

"Why do I have to tell you guys anything..." Kozume grumbles, crossing his arms. "Because I'm your good friend and if you don't spill it, I'll ask Y/N directly then." Kuroo wears a Cheshire cat like smile. Thankfully Y/N and Lev return with the plates and the pie you and Kozume made. "Wow, it turned out pretty good." Yaku blinks in surprise when you place the pie in the middle. Lev takes a seat at the head of the table and you walk over to the empty seat by Kozume. "What did you expect Yaku?" You eye him directly. Yaku stares at the pie and then over to Kozume. 

"Honestly, I didn't expect Kenma to be much help." Yaku smirks at Kozume, chuckling. "You can have the other pie then." Kozume mutters out. "No, no, no! I didn't mean that in a rude way." Yaku quickly covers his tracks but Kozume's already made up his mind, moving the pie away from Yaku. "Tough luck, bud." Kuroo laughs at Yaku, his hand extending over to the bucket of chicken. Everyone grabs a piece out of the bucket, the five of you eating and making small talk.

"What piece do you like the best Y/N?" Kozume speaks up next to you. "The drum or wing is my favorite." Answering Kozume, you see him reach for those pieces specifically to give to you. You bite your bottom lip, feeling your chest tighten from his small act of kindness. "Does this mean you two are going to act all lovey dovey in front of us now? If so, I'm walking out right now." Yaku eyes Kozume and you. Shaking your head, you lower the drumstick from your mouth. "I wouldn't want to make you guys feel uncomfortable." 

"I'm doing what I want." Kozume glances over at Yaku. Lev chokes on his chicken, his face redden from Kozume's response. You quickly hand Lev a soft drink and he thanks you by bowing his head frantically. His hand clumsily twists the cap off and drinks. "A-Are you even Kenma anymore? Was he always like this Kuroo?" Kuroo is amused by Kozume's change of confidence, shaking his head. "Kenma tends to be blunt but not to this extreme. I didn't take you to be the jealous overprotective boyfriend type, Kenma." 

"Good luck Y/N." Yaku prays for you, whispering under his breath. You start to feel nervous, your eyes flicking over to Kozume who's silently eating his chicken. 

_Should you be worried?_

Changing the topic, you glance over to Yaku and Lev. "How do you guys think you did on the test?" Yaku scoffs, a confident smirk on his face. "I'm pretty sure I nailed it. Those tests were easy-peasy." Lev nods his head along with Yaku. "Surprisingly I understood most of the questions." Lev smiles happily, taking another bite of his drumstick. "I guessed the entire thing so I hope my marks won't be too horrible." Kuroo shrugs, staring at the chicken thigh on his plate. "What were you doing besides studying Tetsurō?" 

Kuroo seems to expect you to ask him that question, a smug look on his face. He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Fooling with those first years." A glare naturally forms on your face when you look over at Kuroo. "The ones from the group date?" Yaku raises an eyebrow at Kuroo. "W-Wait, all three of them?" Lev widens his eyes in disbelief, tossing his drumstick down on his plate. "Oh god no. I'm not that bold to take three girls out all at once." Kuroo shakes his head, a glimmer shines in his eyes. "I took each one on a date within the same day. Just different hours apart." 

Your face contorts when you hear Kuroo's sleazy voice. "How'd you manage to even do that?" Yaku looks amazed from the thought. "Kuroo you're such a womanizer..." Lev shakes his head, disgusted. "It's my last year in high school, let me enjoy it." Kuroo grumbles a bit. "I just told them all to meet me at different locations." 

"They all must know you're using them..." Kozume speaks up after being silent for awhile. "They're either dumb or they're also using Tetsurō." You add in. "Using me?!" Kuroo seems more offended by your words than Kozume's. You lean back in your seat, turning your attention to Kuroo. "They're all close friends Tetsurō. Which means they probably discussed their date times with each other. Knowing them they probably made a secret rule among each other like no one can kiss you. All while, getting to go on a date with an upperclassman. You're not just any upperclassman either. You're the captain of Nekoma High volleyball. So they scored big. Plus you're not ugly so." 

"Do girls put that much thought on who they go out with?" Lev blinks in surprise. "Not all of us. But knowing those three, they did." You shake your head, remembering the vibes those first years gave you. "So I'm not ugly Y/N?" Kuroo smirks towards you. Kozume flicks his eyes over at Kuroo and Kuroo's smile falters. You feel a pinch to your cheek, wincing from the sudden pain. 

_Kozume is pinching your cheek._

"K-Kenma that hurts." You squeak out. He lowers his hand and puffs his cheeks out slightly. "Kenma's kind of cute when he's jealous." Yaku chuckles, wiping his hands with a napkin. "Shut up." Kozume says between clench teeth. "Now you're really not getting any pie." 

"Wait! Don't do that to me Kenma!" Yaku yells out. The table erupts into laughter. 


	32. I'm with you, that's all that matters

"Thanks for having us over Y/L/N." Yaku is the last one to say his farewells to you at the front door. He runs over to Lev and the two head off to the train station. Your eyes look over to Kuroo and Kozume. "Thanks for coming over you two." A smile graces your face and they nod. "Good work on the apple pie you two." Kuroo gives the two of you a thumbs up before hurrying off across the street. "Night!" He shouts out. Kozume turns his attention to you, his hand holding a box of the leftover pie. "Thank you for today Y/N." 

"I should be the one to thank you Kenma." A sweet smile forms on your face when you look at him. "Make sure to share some of the pie with your parents. I'm sure they'll be surprised to find out you made it." Kozume purses his lips, holding the box closer to him. "I don't want to share with them..." A giggle escapes your lips, not expecting such a cute reaction from Kozume. "I guess that's fine too." You softly mutter out. The cool breeze of the night makes you shiver and Kozume notices. "Before I go, do you have any plans for tomorrow?" Kozume looks at you directly and you shake your head. "Let's go out on a date." Kozume follows up his question with another one.

Your eyes widen. "A date?"

Kozume nods his head, his hand reaches out for yours. "We could also just stay home if you want. I just want more time with you." Kozume softly mutters to you, his eyes averting down. Your heart pitter patters and you can feel the heat in your cheeks rise. "You can come over in the morning if you'd like. It's a weekend tomorrow so the city will be crowded." Kozume tightens his hold on your hand and nods, his cheeks a shade pink. "Okay, sounds fine with me." 

"If you'd like, you could bring your games over." You smile towards Kozume and he shakes his head. "I'll be too distracted by you to focus on a game." Your face flushes and you cover your face with your free hand. "Who taught you to say such cute things Kenma?!" You fluster out your words and a warm low chuckle sings in your ears. Kozume takes a step forward and kisses the top of your head. "You're the reason why I'm saying these things. I also like seeing you fluster over me so I guess it's not too bad to say such cheesy things." Pulling your hand back, you place them on Kozume's shoulders to push him away.

"G-Go home. I'll see you tomorrow." 

A small smirk grows on Kozume's face when he looks at you. "Sweet dreams Y/N." You nod, watching Kozume turn his back to you. Wanting to get back at him for making you flustered, you grab onto his wrist. Kozume raises an eyebrow, turning his head slightly. His face flushes when he feels Y/N's lips against his. "I'm not going to let you tease me like this Kenma." Your voice soft in his ear. Just as fast as your kiss, you're quick to go back inside and close the door. 

Kozume stands there motionless. His mind tries to process what just happened. Exhaling, he shakes his head and chuckles. "She's going to drive me crazy." 

🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.

Your brows furrow when the sun rays shine through your curtains and beam onto your face. The sound of chirping birds announcing that morning is here. You slowly sit up and lean your back against your headboard. Your fingers run through your messy bed hair and a yawn escapes from you. Groggily, you lift the blankets off of you and walk towards the bathroom to freshen up. You don't know when Kozume will be coming over but the least you can do is not look like a mess when he arrives. After freshening up, you swap out of your tee and throw on an oversize sweater. The smell of grilled mackerel pulls you out of your room and downstairs. 

"Good morning, sunshine." Your dad notices you entering the kitchen, he slides two grilled mackerels onto a plate. "Morning dad." You smile at him, walking over to the plate. "I'm surprised you're up and making breakfast. I could've done this so you can catch up on sleep." Dad shakes his head, cooling the pan off with cold water before letting the pan sit in the sink. You grab the plate and walk over to the dining table. A few side dishes are already laid out on the table. "What are your plans today?" Dad sits across from you, handing you your utensils. You pick up a bowl of rice and place a few pickled vegetables in your bowl. "Kenma is coming over today. We're probably just going to hang out upstairs." 

Dad raises an eyebrow, his eyes lingering on your face. "No Kuroo this time either?" Your lips form a thin line and you shake your head. "Tetsurō might have a few dates lined up today." 

"A few dates? Not a single date?" Dad looks alarmed, taking a bite of rice with a piece of mackerel. "He turned into a player." You grimace at the thought, shaking your head. "I'm sure he would stop being a player if a nice girl like you became his girlfriend." Dad speaks nonchalantly and you nearly choke on your rice. "W-What?!" You grab the glass of water next to you, gulping large portions of the water down. "No need to be so dramatic Y/N." Dad wholeheartedly laughs at you.

"Tetsurō and I aren't like that." You mumble, your eyes staring at the miso soup next to your rice. "So is Kozume the one you're interested in?" Dad munches on the pickled vegetables. Your cheeks heat up and you quietly poke at your rice with your chopsticks. "Actually...Kenma and I are dating." You nervously whisper to your dad. You hear the munching from your dad stop halfway. Nervously, you look up to see his reaction. He wears a stunned expression. "Since when?!" Dad's voice slightly trembles in shock.

"Yesterday." You nibble the bottom of your lip, eating a mouthful of rice and mackerel. Dad grows silent, he's unsure how to handle the news. Lowering his chopsticks, he leans back in his seat. His eyes glancing back and forth to you and your mother's portrait that hangs on the wall. "I don't know whether I should be a proud dad or an overprotective one." Dad runs his fingers through his hair, stressed. "I'm sure your mother would've been elated to hear this." A sadness creeps up in your chest when you hear dad mention mother. "I guess I have to fill in both of our shoes during a moment like this." Dad speaks more to himself than to you, his voice low and affectionate. 

The sound of the doorbell pulls your dad away from his thoughts. "That should be Kozume, right?" Dad stands up and you're quick to get up too. "You're not going to say something stupid are you dad?!" You panic when you see the glimmer in your dads eye. He opens the door and Kozume bows to him. "Good morning sir." Kozume speaks politely to your dad. "It's nice to see the youth up so early." Dad smiles brightly to Kozume. "So, Y/N just informed me that you two are dating?" Kozume nods, his eyes glancing to you briefly. You mouth the word 'sorry' to Kozume. Noticing his body stiffen.

Dad places his large hand on Kozume's shoulder, patting him. "Are you sure you know what you're getting yourself into? Do you think you're capable of handling someone who's as fragile as Y/N? She's had her heartbroken once by the passing of her mother. I'd hate to see my daughter be heartbroken again by her first boyfriend." Your cheeks turn a shade red when you hear your dad question Kozume. Kozume focuses his gaze on your dad. "I don't plan to hurt her sir. Far from that actually." Kozume pauses, collecting his thoughts together. "I plan to be someone she can lean on. Someone who will pick up the broken pieces and mend her heart. I want nothing more than to be by her side and watch her bloom."

You're taken aback by Kozume's words, breathless. A warmth grows in your chest and you feel tingles run down into your palms. Dad also seems to be speechless from Kozume's response. His shoulders relax and a warm smile reflects towards Kozume. Dad squeezes Kozume's shoulder and nods his head. "You're a fine man, Kozume. It's a bit chilly out, come on inside. Did you eat yet? Y/N and I were just having breakfast." Dad steps to the side and you do the same. Kozume whispers a thank you when he enters the house. 

"I ate earlier, don't mind me." Kozume answers your dad. "If you want, you can hang out in my room. I'll finish breakfast with my dad and I'll be right up." You softly speak to Kozume. He gives you a small smile and excuses himself, walking upstairs. You sit back down and your dad speaks up with a smile, "He's a good kid." 

"So...you're not mad that I'm not dating Tetsurō?" You whisper. Dad shakes his head. "You can't force love onto people you have no desire for Y/N." You feel a sense of relief when you listen to your dad. The two of you finish breakfast together before you rejoin Kozume upstairs. "I'll be in the living room if you two need anything." Dad walks over to the coffee table, picking up the remote to the television. You quickly say okay before walking upstairs. You grow nervous when you stop in front of your bedroom door. Slowly, you open and close your hands to rid your nerves. 

You open the door and apologize to Kozume for making him wait. You spot Kozume sitting in front of the tea table, his fingers tapping on his phone. You walk over to him, staring down at his phone that shows a battle screen. Kozume taps the pause button and lowers his phone down. "You can finish that match Kenma." You softly say to him. He turns around and pulls you down to him, wrapping his arms around your waist. A squeal escapes from your lips when your body crashes into Kozume's. He holds you in his lap, nestling his head in the nook of your neck.

Your heart pounds against your chest and you feel your face flush from Kozume's embrace. His breath tickles your neck. "I mean every single word that I told your dad." Kozume tightens his arms around you. "I want to be the superhero you were to Kuroo." You're stunned in Kozume's grasp. He notices your stiffness and places a kiss against your neck. The sensation sends goosebumps down your spine. Kozume slowly lifts his head and stares at your blushing face. Your eyes slowly meet his golden ones. 

The Kozume you're looking at now is different from the expressionless one you grew accustomed to. 

"Your mom...do you want to talk about her?" Kozume carefully asks you this question. You recall the day Kozume questioned if you were close to her and you couldn't fully talk about her to him. You lower your eyes to your lap, squeezing your hands into fists. It's been awhile since thoughts of mother crossed your mind. Your lip droops into a frown and you feel a coldness wash over you. Kozume feels Y/N's body tremble within his hold. Softly, Kozume presses his warm lips against her cheek. "Take your time Y/N. I'll be here." His eyes never waver away from Y/N's face. 

You feel overwhelmed by Kozume's low warm voice. His patience and kindness towards you makes you thankful to have someone like him to call as your boyfriend. 

"A-Are you sure you want to spend the day listening to me cry about my mom?" You turn to look at Kozume, your brows knitting together. Kozume's golden eyes soften, his lips softly presses against yours. "I'm with you, that's all that matters." Kozume whispers, a gentle smile appears on his face. Your eyes gloss over and you feel the tears already fighting their way through. 

_What did you do to deserve someone like Kozume Kenma?_

The tightness in your chest hurts and you lower your eyes from him. "My mom...she died from suicide."


	33. A painful memory

You hear Kozume's breath hitch beside you. Nibbling your bottom lip, you clench your hands on the end of your sweater. You still remember that day vividly when you saw her body. 

**Flashback**

You are on your way home from school. This specific day you were held back to clean the classroom with one of your classmates. You made a phone call to the house phone to tell your mother that you'll be late but she didn't answer. She was always quick to answer the phone when you or father called so you find it strange that she never picked up. Quickening your pace, you start to run. The dirt of the countryside road kicks up with every step you take. "Mom!" You call out for her, crossing the wooden bridge to your house. There's no response and you notice an eerie silence looming. You enter the house and a coldness greets you. The faint static sound of the television in the living room is the first thing you hear. You reach over to turn the television off and notice the slight crack of your parent's sliding shoji doors are open. 

You hear your heart pounding in your ears. Slowly, you walk over to the door, a strong scent intoxicates your nose. A smell you're not too familiar with. With trembling hands, you slide the shoji doors open. You quickly regret doing so when you notice the smell is the blood of your mothers. A large pool of blood that seems to have dried up mostly surrounds your mothers body. A knife sticks out from her stomach. You're too terrified to scream, your legs give out from under you. Falling onto your knees, your eyes waver when you see your moms motionless body. Her cold eyes staring at you. The color in her face is pale and all you can think of is 'Why?'. 

You stare at her like this for what seems like hours. The room that once was orange and pink turns into a blue darkness. You feel your senses come back to you, the shock suppressing. You fumble for your phone in your skirt pocket, dialing your dads number. "Dad, are you almost home?" You force yourself to speak, muffling back your tears. "I'm just five minutes away. What's wrong honey?" 

"Dad please hurry home...mom. She's." You sob loudly over the phone, lowering your head. Y/N's dad notices the distress in her voice and quickly starts to run. Your phone slips out of your hand and you cover your face with your palms. You call out to your mom who's been lifeless for who knows how long. You hear the sound of the front door opening and your dad calls out to you. You can't seem to muster the energy to call out to him. Dad finds you sobbing in front of his room, his eyes flick over to see your mothers passing body. 

"Dad...I don't understand." You hear him slowly crouch down behind you. He must be as terrified as you are right now. But he envelopes you in a tight embrace. His large hand rubs your back and he tries to talk to you. "Were you here when it happened?" Dad's voice falls apart and you shake your head. "I found her like this when I came home." You sniffle, tightly clutching onto your dads shirt. "Let's get you out of here. I'm going to make a phone call to the authorities." Dad tries to remain calm for you but you can easily see in his eyes how devastated he is. Nodding your head, your dad helps you up and slides the shoji door close behind the two of you. 

After a quick phone call to the local police, they arrive to the scene shortly after. The two of you were questioned by a cop while his two teammates enter the room where your mother laid. Paramedics come by a short while after to take her body out of the room. Everything after that is a blur. 

You remember the police questioning you specifically. They made a few hypothesis on your mothers death and you were one of them. They questioned how you didn't immediately call the authorities when you found her body. Several hours went by with you being questioned before they concluded that the only DNA found on your mother was her own. Everything after that day turned a complete 180.

The way you were treated by your classmates and neighbors flipped once the news about your mothers suicide leaked. Rumors to why she died went out of control. Several saying your mother felt neglected while your dad worked late hours. Others saying you were probably a nightmare towards her when your dad wasn't around. That you faked being kind to everyone. Others believed your father must have abused your mother mentally. The rumors spread like wildfire and you couldn't avoid it. Because of the large amount of fees for your mothers burial, your dad took on more hours at work. You were left home alone-- the last place you wanted to be. You start to lose yourself in the darkness. The spark of happiness long gone.

**Present Day**

You hide your face with the sleeves of your sweater. It feels as if you've never cried before with the amount of tears coming out of your eyes. Kozume silently watches you with a frown, his brows knit together. "Why did she kill herself?" You cry out, sniffling and sobbing. "She always seemed so happy around us. But something weighed her down to the point she..." Your words fall into silence. You feel Kozume's arms envelope you as if you're a teddy bear. He's careful to not squeeze you. 

"I'm sorry I don't have the answer to your question Y/N." Kozume's husky voice speaks into your ear. You try to calm down your sobbing when you hear his voice. Kozume loosens his hold on you and extends his hands towards your covered face. He's careful to pry your hands away from your tear stained face. You feel his hands cup your face, his thumbs wiping your tears away. Your vision is blurry but you can faintly make out the small gentle smile on Kozume's face. "I'm sure your mom wants you to only remember the good times you had with her. She wouldn't want you to cry over her." Kozume carefully wipes away the last few tears in the corner of your eyes. 

You hold back the frown that your lip is twitching to make. Kozume softly kisses your lips, stroking your hair. "I'm sorry I can't take away the pain that you're feeling Y/N." Kozume's lips falls into a frown, his brows etched with worry. "I can't erase those memories either." You feel yourself calm down from Kozume's gentle touch. "But I'll do my best to comfort you and I'll always be here for you. You can't push me away even if you want to." Kozume stares into your eyes, a smile on his face. "I know it's too soon for me to say this but...I love you Y/N. I think I love you a bit too much that it's obsessive." 

Your eyes slowly widen when you look at Kozume. He lowers his hand down from your hair and tightly snuggles you. "I want to protect you from anything and anyone. I also want nothing else but to see you happy and laughing Y/N." Kozume's husky voice sends a shiver down your spine. The familiar scent of citrus and oak envelopes your senses. Right here at this very moment, you feel safe. 

**Safe in Kozume's arms.**

Lowering your guard, you rest your head on Kozume's chest. You didn't feel ready to say the word 'love' back to Kozume but you know that day will arrive eventually. "Sorry, Kenma. This is probably the worst first date you've ever had." You mumble. Kozume kisses the top of your head and gives you a squeeze. "I wouldn't know. This is my first date." You hear Kozume's low voice above you. A blush streaks across your face. 

"I feel special then." You whisper out. "You didn't feel special before?" Kozume teases you. You glance up towards him, pinching his cheek. "You know what I mean!" Kozume notices your change in emotion and chuckles lowly. You freeze when you hear his warm chuckle. The sound of his chuckle makes you smile. "I love it when you laugh Kenma." The words loosely slip out from under you and Kozume blushes. 

"Well, I love you." Kozume glances away from you, averting back to his shy behavior. The corner of your lips curl upward and you pull away from his chest. "You're so fucking cute Kenma." You place a kiss on his lips, feeling his breath hitch. He furrows his brows when he hears the word 'cute'. "How many times do I have to tell you that I don't want to be called cute." Kozume mumbles between your kisses. 

You pull away, a smirk on your face. "If I recall correctly, this is the second time I've called you cute. The other two were about things you liked." Kozume scrunches his nose, biting his bottom lip. "If you want me to stop, then stop being so cute Kenma." You giggle, knowing that it's easier said then done. 

You see his eyes flicker, an idea crossing his mind. He turns his golden eyes back to you. "Should I be a bit more aggressive then?" Kozume speaks in a husky tone. 


	34. Head over heels for you

The serious gaze in Kozume's eyes makes you uneasy. "Aggressive?" You're soft spoken. 

Kozume silently looks at you. You feel him slide you off of his lap and he stands up. Confused, you stare at him. Kozume extends his hand towards you, not saying a word. Your brows furrow together and you wonder if it's safe for you to take his hand. Not wanting Kozume to feel like you're leaving him hanging, you place your hand in his. Kozume helps you stand on your feet but he surprises you when he princess carries you towards the bed. 

"W-Wait, Kenma what are you doing?" Your voice slightly high pitch. Kozume wears a smirk on his face when he pins you onto your bed. Towering over you, he places both of his legs by your sides. His hands hold your arms down. 

**You can't escape from him.**

Being in this position makes your face flush. The innocent cute Kozume is nowhere to be found when you stare at the devilish smirk above you. "I think I learned my lesson to not call you cute." You weakly say to Kozume. "I don't think you have." Kozume leans down, nipping at your ear. The sensation sends a jolt down your toes. His husky voice sounds so mesmerizing. "K-Kenma, my dad's downstairs." You try to come up with some excuse to weaken Kozume's sudden confidence. "I'll be quiet." Kozume purrs in your ear, his lips kissing your neck. 

Your heart feels like it'll jump out of your chest. Kozume sprinkles several kisses from your neck up to your jawline. You start to question if this is Kozume's true nature. You feel fooled by his deadpan expression. Never in a million years could you imagine Kozume asserting his dominance like this. "Isn't this a bit too fast Kenma?" You seem out of breath when you feel his lips melt against yours. "Yeah." Kozume reverts back to his usual self, kissing your forehead. You feel him loosen his hold on your arms. "I just want you to be aware of what happens if you get on my bad side." Kozume helps you sit up. "Sorry if I overstepped." 

You purse your lips, still feeling every inch of heat where Kozume's kissed you. "I was just surprised...that's all." You grow shy in front of Kozume, lowering your eyes to your lap. "I guess you can be sexy too." Kozume pinches your cheek. "You guess? I was nervous the entire time." You pinch Kozume's cheek as well. "Nervous? You looked like you had everything under control." The two of you pinch hard on each others cheek, both too stubborn to let go. But you're the one to break, releasing his cheek to pry his fingers away from yours. 

"You really play to win, don't you Kenma?" You softly rub the area he's pinched, eyes watering. "Of course." He laughs, kissing the spot he's pinched. Your heart skips again, your anger quickly disappearing. You return the favor and kiss his cheek, feeling his heated face. Pulling away, you see his adorable shy reaction. His eyes narrowing down to his lap. Kozume pokes at his cheek and murmurs. "Can you kiss that spot again?" You easily oblige and lean forward to kiss his cheek. But Kozume tricks you and turns his head so your lips meet his. 

"H-Hey!" 

Kozume lets out a low chuckle and sticks his tongue out at you. "Gotcha." He whispers. You can't hold a glare on Kozume when he's acting so adorably. "You're being cute again..." You mumble, pursing your lips together. Your words easily frustrates him. Kozume bites his bottom lip, wrapping his arms around you again. He leans the both of you down on your bed and envelopes you tightly. 

"You're the cute one Y/N." Kozume whispers next to your ear. You wiggle your arms out from under his chest, enveloping him too. A smile plasters on your face when you hug him tightly. You feel a safeness you haven't felt in a long time. An overwhelming feeling erupts in your chest. "Kenma." Kozume rests his forehead against yours, his eyes looking directly into yours. "Yeah?" 

"Thank you for listening to me today. I feel much lighter and happier." A small smile forms on Kozume's face. "Of course." You turn your head slightly to kiss Kozume. You feel his arms tighten around you, his lips easily kissing you back. The two of you silently kiss back and forth, the soft sounds of your lips against each other fills the silence of the room. Your shared kiss empties your mind and you feel like you're walking on clouds. 

Kozume is careful to not overwhelm you with rough kisses. You can tell he's holding himself back. Eventually the two of you pull away to catch your breaths. You stare into Kozume's yearning golden eyes. "I keep finding more reasons to obsess over you Y/N. Your kisses is becoming one of them." Kozume sheepishly whispers to you, his face blushing. A giggle escapes your lips and you smile at Kozume. "I think I'm bad for you Kenma." 

"I don't care." Kozume is quick to retort back. "I only obsess over things I care about."

"So if you had to pick between me and video games, which one will it be?" 

"You." Kozume doesn't hesitate to answer your question. It seems like he already knew his answer before you finished your sentence. You're the one to blush now when you look at Kozume. "Really? Even though video games have been by your side longer?" Kozume nods, kissing you again. "I don't get this kind of feeling when I play video games. This long lasting euphoric feeling. Video games may give me that high temporarily when I draw the character I want from a random ten fold pull or when I 100% a game. But nothing compares when I'm with you."

Kozume's words gives you goosebumps. "You're head over heels for me Kenma." You rub your nose against his. "And you have to get used to it." Kenma smirks, tightening his hold on you. 

"I don't mind it at all." You whisper. The two of you hold one another like this for a while. You're content with this first date with Kozume. The two of you lazily spend the day together in bed cuddling. 


	35. Are you challenging me?

Two weeks have past since you've started dating Kozume. The word about your relationship quickly spread like wildfire the day you two came back to school.

_Who spread the news? Kozume himself._

He insisted on holding hands the entire walk to school despite you making a fuss. You didn't like to show off to others that you're in a relationship. But, here you are. Another day at school with your hands interlocked with Kozume's.

"I find it amazing you guys still practice even though the seasons over for volleyball." You look over to Kozume. "Well, it's not required of us to but Kuro enjoys it. I just go to keep him company."

"Then why are you with me this afternoon?" You raise an eyebrow. Kozume gives your hand a little squeeze. "Because I love you." Kozume easily says these words to you. Your face turns a shade red and you avert your eyes from him. You still haven't told Kozume you love him back. Those words don't come out as easily for you. It has nothing to do with Kozume's part but more on yours. Every time you steel your nerves to tell him, you always lose confidence and clam up. You hardly remember the last time you told someone you love them. Your dad just knows you do, so you never verbally voice your emotions.

Kozume notices your distracted eyes. He slows his steps and stands in front of you. Your foot bumps into his and you startle out of your thoughts. "Are you thinking about that again?" Kozume lowly speaks to you, his fingers lifting your chin up. Your lips purse when Kozume's caught you. You've mentioned it to him before that you feel guilty for not returning his I love you's back. You feel a soft pair of lips against yours, easily stealing your breath. You naturally kiss Kozume back.

"I know you love me Y/N so don't feel rushed to say it back to me." Kozume tucks your stray hair behind your ear, a gentle smile on his face. You're in awe by how patient and sweet Kozume is. "I know...but." Kozume kisses you again to seal your lips. "No buts. We've only been dating for a few weeks. I'm the one that's being impatient." Kozume lowers his eyes, feeling guilty. "Sorry, I know you said you prefer patient guys..." A smile forms on your face when you see Kozume ramble. You lean forward and kiss him, stopping him from overthinking.

"It's okay if your impatient for certain things. It's cu-" You find yourself stopping mid sentence. Your eyes shifting elsewhere. Kozume raises an eyebrow, a sly smile on his face. "It's what Y/N?"

"Nothing." You blurt out, walking around Kozume and speeding up your pace. Kozume softly chuckles when he notices your flustered reaction. He hurries to catch up to you, wrapping his arms around your waist. A yelp escapes from you when you feel Kozume's tall frame tower over you. His warmth surrounds you. "I'm not going to let you get away so easily Y/N." Your face flushes from Kozume's husky tone, his words causing your heart to waver. "K-Kenma we're in public." You stammer out. "So?" Kozume kisses your cheek, a smile on his face. You wiggle your way out of his grasp, the heat on your cheeks stinging against the cold fall air.

"At least put me in line behind closed doors..." You murmur out. Kozume is the one to have his face redden, his smile faltering into a shy expression. "D-Don't word it like that Y/N." Kozume lowers his head, sliding his hands into his pockets. "Says the one that's embracing me in the middle of the path. We're still on school campus." You try to hide your redden face with the sides of your hair. Kozume slowly realizes the other students around him. You can see the tips of his ears redden. Feeling embarrassed, he grabs hold of your arm and drags you off somewhere away from the lurking eyes. Kozume stops in front of the guys locker room and the two of you catch your breaths.

You glance around and notice where you are. "We somehow find ourselves near the gym." You dryly laugh. Kozume looks at the location you two are at and relaxes his shoulders. "I guess it's natural reflex for me to come here." Kozume wears a small smile. "Since we're here, did you want to go practice?" You look over to the gym that's across from the locker rooms. Kozume intertwines his hands with yours, pulling you towards the guys locker room. "W-Wait Kenma what are you doing?!"

"Getting back at you for calling me cute." Kozume speaks in a matter-of-fact tone. "That's the guys locker room! What if someone sees us?!" You try to pry Kozume's hand away but your efforts are useless. Kozume pulls you inside, rummaging for a key to one of the doors in the back corner of the locker room. The door easily swings open when Kozume unlocks it. "What's in here?" You nervously stare at the dark room. Kozume flicks the light on and you see a few supplies packed away in here. A box full of locks and gym uniforms pile one of the corners. Kozume leads you inside and locks the door behind him. You nibble your bottom lip, feeling a bit antsy being in here. 

"No one's going to come in here Y/N." Kozume reassures you with a kiss, his hands rest on your waist. "Now about earlier..." Kozume's golden eyes zero in on your eyes. "I don't think I've been aggressive enough Y/N." Your eyes widen in surprise. You falter slightly when you hear the deepness in Kozume's voice. The innocent Kozume is no where to be found when you look into his eyes. Your heart races uncontrollably and you take a step back. Kozume silently takes a step forward. The two of you silently playing this back and forth game until your back is pressed against a wall. 

Not wanting to fuel Kozume's confidence, you straighten up. You carefully place your hand on his cheek. "This side of you is cute too Kenma." You tease him, watching his eyes waver before you. He scrunches his nose, his confidence swaying. "I'm pretty sure I can handle whatever you plan to do." You playfully kiss his nose and his cheeks redden. 

"Are you challenging me Y/N?" Kozume slowly places his hand over yours, his cheek pressing against your hand. You see a glimmer shine in Kozume's eyes. Nervousness but also curiosity eats at you. "What if I am?" You whisper into the quiet room. 

Kozume bites his inner cheek, exhaling. "You're asking for it." Kozume grips tightly onto your hand, pulling it away from his face. With his free hand he grabs hold of your jaw, forcibly kissing you. "If it's too much for you, tell me to stop." His breath tickles your lips and you're unable to respond from his lips clashing onto yours again. 

**The cute kitten turned into a lion before you.**


	36. You're better than drugs

Seeing this side of Kozume excites you, so you play along. His lips hungrily kiss you as if he hasn't already kissed you several times today. You try to keep up but you can't match Kozume's pace. The kisses turning sloppy. 

His hand buries into your hair and he pulls your face closer to his. You shiver when you feel Kozume nervously slide his tongue inside. A soft moan escapes you when your tongues tangle. Hearing your sweet moan only excites Kozume further. The two of you gasping for air but not wanting to pull away. You feel your chest tighten from the lack of air and slowly you give in to the need for oxygen. 

Pulling away, you catch your breath. Lust clouds over your eyes when you see Kozume's redden cheeks. His hands still holding your head in place. Kozume also has the same look in his eyes. He slowly pulls his hands away from your hair, lowering them down your back. "Where did you learn to kiss like that Kenma?" You wrap your arms around his neck, lightly kissing him. You hear his breath sharpen and a smile forms on your face. "It's too embarrassing for me to say." You raise an eyebrow, pulling away from his lips to look at him. His eyes stare at the ground. 

"Was it from po-" Kozume hushes your lips with his. "N-No. Why would I watch those kind of things when I have a girlfriend I could mess with." You forget to breath when you stare at Kozume in complete shock. "I just bought a few shouju mangas for research." Kozume mutters out. A giggle escapes from you when you hear his response. "That's actually cute. I can imagine you doing that." 

Kozume bites your bottom lip, glaring at you with blushing cheeks. You squeak out an apology and he softly kisses where he bit you. "You have to let me read those mangas. I didn't know they can teach you to kiss like that." 

"I rather not." 

"Why?" 

"We can just practice with each other Y/N." Kozume's deep tone sends goosebumps down your spine. His eyelashes fall to a close and you're enveloped again by his sweet lips. Closing your eyes, you melt under his taste. You teasingly flick your tongue on his lip which makes him shiver. A low grunt fills your ears. Hearing Kozume's tone arouses you further, your fingers run through the back of his hair. Kozume nervously slides one of his hands under your skirt. Your heart rate picks up when you feel his wandering hands. But you try to remain calm. With your bodies close together, you feel something poke you from below. You lower one hand down, slowly pressing your palm against Kozume's hardon. 

Kozume moans from your touch, his lips pulling away for a second. 

"Your moans are sexy Kenma." You playfully speak to him, rubbing his crotch. Kozume's eyes waver when he looks at you, biting his bottom lip from more moans wanting to escape. "I want to hear yours too. They're so cute." Kozume mutters out through ragged breathing. You feel the butterflies in your stomach when you listen to Kozume. One of his hands slips between your inner thigh. The other hand moves toward your chin, lifting it up. Kozume's tongue glides against your lips and you tremble from the sensation. 

"You're warm down here." Kozume whispers into your ear. He places his lips on your ear, nibbling. You clench your teeth together, feeling a moan bubble up in your throat. But you crumble when Kozume's fingers press against your panties. Your moan escapes from you and a sly smile forms on Kozume's face. "Be a good girl and moan for me Y/N." Kozume's husky voice makes you more flustered. Your sexual desire for him overflowing. 

"This is unfair." You whimper out. You remind him where your hand is, rubbing his hardon through his pants. "I'm not going to let you boss me around like this." Being a bit more aggressive, you pull his hands away from you.

_You're turning the tables now._

Getting on your knees you unbuckle his belt and unzip his pants. "Y/N?" Kozume sounds a bit nervous, his eyes focused on you. You place a kiss on his crotch which makes Kozume stiffen. Nervously, you pull his length out through the opening in his boxers. Anxiety starts to fight through your lust but you push it away, closing your eyes when you lightly kiss the head of his length. Kozume clenches his teeth, a groan erupting in his throat. You start off with light kisses before you glide your tongue on the rim. Kozume's grunts fueling your confidence. 

"Fuck." Kozume whimpers out. He forms a fist with one hand, the other stroking the top of your head. Carefully, you wrap your lips around his length. Slowly taking a little bit in at a time. You gag a few times, not used to this sensation. Your tongue taste the salty precum that's on the tip of the head. Once you've gotten past the taste, you slowly move your head back and forth. Kozume starts to lose himself from the sensation. He grows crazy from the feeling of Y/N's lips on his length. The soft sucking sounds and the few flicks of her tongue sends him into a new high that he's never experienced. Kozume feels himself reaching his climax already. He tries to hold back, not wanting to surprise Y/N with the sudden thick liquid. 

Kozume gets his thoughts together, gently holding onto your head to stop Y/N. "I can't be the only one to enjoy myself." Kozume speaks through panting breaths. His hands helps Y/N stand up. 

You're in a daze when you look at Kozume. He presses you back onto the wall, lips locking onto yours. With your mind distracted by his sweet taste, he busies his hands down to your skirt. One gropes onto your butt while the other carefully pulls your panties to the side. You startle when you feel Kozume's finger rub against your lower region. Kozume smiles when he feels a wet fluid. "Cute." Kozume growls towards you. Your face flushes when you see Kozume smile. 

"Let me return the favor Y/N." Kozume nibbles your bottom lip. His fingers spread open your inner lips and he's careful to slide his length in. You wince from the sudden pain. Your face contorts from pain to pleasure. "You're doing a good job Y/N." Kozume tries to comfort you, noticing your scrunched face. He's careful to slowly slide in, his lips trying to keep you distracted. You groan from his size, feeling his length inside your tight walls. Kozume pulls his hands away, placing his hands on your waist to lift you up against the wall. You're always taken aback by how strong he is despite how lean he appears. 

His lips travel from your jaw down to your neck, his hips thrusting in and out of you. Your moans bubble out with every deep thrust of his. Wrapping your arms around his neck, you lower your head on his shoulder. Kozume sucks and flicks his tongue against your bare neck. Your pleasure comes from two different directions. Overwhelmed, you start to grab his hair. The lewd sounds your bodies are creating makes you more aroused. 

"K-Kenma." You cry out his name in his ear. You feel him thrust harder, hitting the perfect spot each time. "God, hearing you say my name is hot." Kozume grunts beside you. "I...I don't think I can keep this up." Your words barely meet his ears when the next thrust sends you into a wave of pleasure. You're a moaning mess when you reach your high, your hands clutching handfuls of Kozume's hair. Kozume slows down his thrusts. He carefully lowers you off the wall and slides out of you. 

Kozume bites his lip, still holding back on his own climax. You notice the distress on his face. Not wanting to leave Kozume hanging, you get on your knees and wrap your lips around his length. Closing your eyes, you stroke him with one hand. The motion easy from your lubrication. It doesn't take much effort from you when Kozume releases in your mouth. You wince from the salty flavor attacking your tongue. But you push through and swallow the thick liquid. Kozume groans out your name, his voice so sweet. Slowly, you pull your mouth away from Kozume's length. You stand up and wipe your lips. 

Kozume shyly fixes his pants before planting a kiss to your lips. "What did I do to deserve you?" Kozume nuzzles his nose against yours. A smile forms on your face, your fingers brushing through Kozume's messy hair. "I should say the same for you Kenma." You whisper, turning your attention away from his hair towards his golden cat like eyes. 

"I love you so much Y/N." Kozume pulls you into his arms, squeezing you tightly. Clenching your hands on his sweater, you slowly lift your head away from his chest. "And I love you Kenma." Your tone shaky and soft. Kozume stares at you in silence, his eyes slightly widen. "What did you say?" Kozume flutters his eyelashes, his breath tickles your lips. 

"Don't make me repeat myself..." You avert your eyes, feeling your cheeks heat up. Kozume squeezes you tightly. "I didn't hear you." Kozume lies. 

"I said, I love you Kenma!" You muster the strength to speak louder. You nervously turn your attention back to Kozume. A warm smile appears in front of you. "I feel so happy right now." Kozume lowly says, his lips presses against yours again. He pulls away to take a look at you. "Thank you for loving me Y/N." 

"Thank you for spoiling me Kenma..." A sweet smile etches on your face. You're pulled away from your confessions when the two of you hear the locker room door open. Kenma is quick to reach over towards the lights to flick them off. 

"Why do we bother to practice anymore." Lev grumbles out. "Can't I just skip like Kenma?" 

"Skip where? You don't have a girlfriend." Kuroo jabs towards Lev. 

"SHUT UP!" 

You and Kozume stiffen when you hear the voices of Lev and Kuroo. "How are we going to leave now?" You whisper to Kozume. "They shouldn't take long." Kozume whispers back. He presses his lips against yours again. "In the meantime..." You giggle softly. "I really think I'm bad for you Kenma." 

"Just a bit. You're better than drugs. Not that I've ever done drugs before." Kozume chuckles dryly. The two of you quietly makeout in the dark room to pass the time until you can escape the locker rooms.

\- - - -

& this concludes I'm not a game.

I can't believe I had enough motivation to write another story right after the extremely long 58 chapter story of Ready. Set. LOVE.

This one was a bit challenging due to Kozume's personality. But I hope I did his character justice by the way I written him.

I want to thank you for taking the time to read, comment, and vote on this story. I always look forward to seeing your reactions. They play a huge part in motivating me to write. (Besides me trying to fulfill that spot in my heart of pairing a character with us.)

Thank you for joining me on this journey and I hope to see you in the next one!

\- cutesight


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